


Highway To Hell

by Atumun15



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Chan knows nothing about the modern world, Fluff, M/M, Slight siren Seungmin, Vampire Chan, chan is w h i p p e d, kind of cracky in some parts, l i g h t angst, seungmin is also whipped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 23:39:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 35,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16356503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atumun15/pseuds/Atumun15
Summary: 666 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.





	Highway To Hell

The world is far too vast, far too big for there not to be deep, chilling lore behind creatures that are far more powerful, developed, and intelligent than humans. There are too many layers to this society for there not to be an underground somewhere filled to the brim with beings that would not be accepted in the day of the human world and so are forced to show themselves at night – or this god forsaken holiday named Halloween.

 

No one really knew this, humans, anyway, but Halloween for the supernatural world did not mean parties, alcohol, giggling children, and candy. Halloween was freedom and fear all the same. Long ago, before records were kept and stories that were once considered real but are now nothing more than just myths, there was a nobleman. Bang Chan was practically royalty at that time, but it hadn’t been because he was so well liked and had such a great influence. In fact, it was purely because everyone knew he was, knew what power he had and the poor souls he had taken with an easy snap of his fingers. Bang Chan had instilled this undying fear into the people of the kingdom, even the royalty itself – except for the pretty prince Hwang Hyunjin, who he had seduced into becoming one of his own.

 

Bang Chan was evil, sometimes even considered more evil than Lucifer himself, and right when the town had practically burned to the ground and there was no other life to be seen except for Chan’s blood family, a witch an ounce more powerful than Chan came along and fucked all of his plans up, forcing him to sleep for five lifetimes before he was allowed to see the light of day again on an October 31st.

 

That’s why Halloween was fearful for those who remembered and believed this legend. Those who were around during that time know exactly what Bang Chan is capable of and they knew that once he opened his eyes, the world was doomed. Even Lee Minho knew that. That’s why everything worked out the way they did.

 

Because Lee Minho was no idiot, and he knew exactly what Chan needed.

 

Five lifetimes worth of sleep and someone to reteach him the ways of the world.

 

\-------------

  


**666 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

  


Generally, there's two types of sleep: light sleep and deep sleep. There was also what many considered a coma, but that wasn’t quite what Chan experienced either. Bang Chan was practically frozen in time, because no one in a coma could survive five lifetimes and still wake up not looking a day over 22, and no one could recover from it after a singular kill in the dark alley beside a corner shop after stumbling around streets you definitely don’t recognize but don’t have the energy to be frightful. No. Because only a creature like Bang Chan could be walking around a city he didn’t know without an ounce of fear in his cold, dead body.

 

Instead, he felt nothing but irritation and confusion. There were people running around in clothes that looked cheap and could tear at any moment but had priceless jewelry around their necks and wrists. There were small children passing by him and complimenting his ‘costume’ and Chan was left staring after them with confusion bubbling in his heart. Did they have no idea who he was? Chan could kill them all if he really wanted to! Maybe he’d need a bit more blood first before going on a killing spree, but that was only a minor detail. “Hey, bro. That’s a lit costume! You should come to join us at this party we’re going to at the Han House!” That last name sounded too familiar for Chan to resist, so he followed the pretty blonde boy with the stars across his cheeks and a smaller, braces covered one attached to his arm.

 

In the distance, there was a white house covered in wide glass windows and plants upon plants outside that looked as if they were finely groomed and taken care of all day, every day. The house would have been beautiful if there weren’t hundreds of people hanging outside on the front lawn alone. Chan found it hard to function properly when there were so many victims around him that were ripe for the taking, and his hunger was starting to blur his vision and his instincts kick in. “Damn! This party is the biggest he’s ever had!” However, before he could even think to attack another human that night, the two boys he had been following towards the party dragged him inside and left him inside a room with a much fancier, more developed stove and glass bottles filled with alcohol everywhere. Chan had been around long enough to know how quick society advances, so it wasn’t a shock that society had advanced this much, it was just shocking and frustrating. Chan had no idea what the fuck he was supposed to do here.

  
He didn’t know how the world worked, and god was he ready to wreak havoc on everything here.

 

However, this kitchen was nice, quiet, and the heart beats around him became muffled and much more bearable. Though, when he poured himself a cup of shitty vodka into an equally shitty cup made of some sort of useless material, a pretty girl entered the kitchen and grabbed him by the hand to lead him into the lounge. Chan had no intention of joining her in this odd form of dancing she was doing but instead attempted to wrap her up in his arms and bury his face in her neck. The girl gasped for a moment when she felt how cold his lips were but shrieked when his fangs punctured her skin. A screech rang out, and the girl shoved him off. “Freak!” She shrieked before running through the crowd that remained unbothered. Only a few turned to look at Chan and his bloodstained lips, but they all turned back to their own business with their dance partner.

 

That wasn’t the end though. Chan began to pace around the large house in search of anything familiar but was met with nothing but a puppy looking face that he tried his best to ignore. He just always seemed to be there when Chan tried to claim another victim. It was only after his sixth attempt did the puppy-faced human approach him with a soft smile that made Chan’s fingertips itch. “Hey, dude. The costume is sick and all and I really appreciate the dedication but if you’re going to keep attacking people then I’ll have to ask you to leave.” His voice was soft, but nasally in a way. The human seemed to hold a certain willful judgment that prompted thoughts of curiosity in Chan’s head that kicked out the rest. _This fool was lucky I didn’t make him my seventh_.

 

Though, Chan found himself more bothered by the fact that the wings on the humans back were about as tiny as a bumble bee.

 

“What was that? You’ll have to speak up a little it’s loud in here,” the stranger confessed as he leaned his ear down towards Chan’s mouth. The vampire’s instincts kicked in for a moment, his fangs dropping from his gums and glinting with venom at the honey skin so close to his mouth. He could bite it, the ear was right there, he could get so much blood out of this if he just tore off his ear - and then the human was leaning away with a frown before turning back towards Chan. “Did you say something? Or is the alcohol drugged?” Chan wouldn’t be surprised if it was drugged based on how shitty it was. However, Chan was spiteful so he waved the human back down and murmured in a low voice that made the other’s skin crawl.

 

“I said your wings are very small.”

 

The human laughed a low chuckle before taking a sip of his drink, “Yeah. I lost a bet so I had to get these from the kid’s section along with a tiara. But Lena stole the tiara from me about an hour ago I think?” The younger exclaimed before walking away to find a trash can. Of course, Chan was beyond confused but more than intrigued, all the same, so he followed the human around for almost an hour and a half. The stranger eventually introduced himself as Seungmin and Chan made his very grand, scary introduction that only made Seungmin blink for a moment before complimenting, “Your introduction was very nice, Bang Chan, lord of the isles and the undead.” Needless to say, that wasn’t Chan’s proudest moment.

 

Seungmin attempted to make conversation with the vampire, but Chan preferred to just stay behind like some sort of creepy shadow and observe everything this human did, which wasn’t much in the long run. He just kept drinking, talking to people, walking around mindlessly, and more drinking. However, when Seungmin was dragged away by a few giggling girls, Chan began to look for more familiar faces and - jackpot. There, stood in the middle of a circle was none other than Han Jisung himself and never in his life had Chan moved so quickly. “Jisung!” Chan called out the moment he was within hearing, vampire hearing at least, and the younger snapped his head up. Chan expected a look of pure horror, or maybe confusion, but instead was greeted with a warm, excited one.

 

“Hyung!” Jisung cheered, breaking through the circle of pouting humans that just wanted Jisung’s attention and shooing them all away. Chan watched them go with a look of betrayal, much like a farmer would watch chickens escape their fields and into the forest. “Come with me. I have a present for you,” Jisung insisted with a mischievous grin, lips pressing against Chan’s jaw and Chan hummed at the cool feeling. It had been a long time since he had gotten to touch anyone with his same cold touch, and Chan found himself in search of the vampire boy he had claimed as his own oh so many years ago. “Ah. Missing my boyfriend are we?” Jisung teased and Chan snapped his eyes to Jisung in an almost frightful anger.

 

“What?” Chan spat out, stopping abruptly and watching Jisung turn towards him with an icy glare. Jisung pursed his lips in irritation, a golden red flashing across his eyes that told Chan that he was much stronger than he used to be, but Chan was far stronger than he could ever dream of being.

 

“You got yourself five lifetimes worth of sleep, of course, Hyunjin doesn’t look at you like that anymore. Times have changed, Hyung.” Chan looked ready to commit murder but never got to even think about it for too long before a hand landed on his shoulder and a familiar voice that made Chan’s stomach roll breathe against his ear.

 

“There you are. You better not be causing any more trouble,” Seungmin frowned with an awkward laugh, nudging Chan back away from Jisung a bit, but the shortest of the bunch just laughed lightly and shook his head.

 

“Channie hyung? Causing trouble? Why am I just not surprised,” Jisung purred, patting Chan’s cheek before turning towards Seungmin and placing a painful finger to his chest. “Thank you for checking in with us, Minnie, but I’ve got it from here,” Jisung promised, shooing the human off, and Chan almost went with him until Jisung pulled him back by the shirt and whispered into his ear. “Come with me, m’lord. I have a surprise for you,” and Chan couldn’t resist anymore. He simply followed Jisung with long strides until they were headed towards the basement and through a steel door. Chan’s instincts began to kick in when he saw three victims hanging from the ceiling by their wrists and still very much alive and conscience. He recognized two of them, the same boys who had dragged him to the party, but the other one he had no idea who he was. Though, in the far corner, there was a very familiar vampire being pinned to the wall by a slightly smaller, but buffer man with soft looking hair and what looked like siren scales along his neck and arms. “Bonding without me? How rude.”

 

The two pulled away, Hwang Hyunjin looking flushed but unbothered, and the siren man wiped at his glossy lips with a hum. “Channie hyung!” Hyunjin squealed, jumping off the table to run towards him but stopped with a jolt and a flicker of Chan’s eyes. Hyunjin felt like he was paralyzed.

 

“You have fallen for another now, prince. What we had is no longer,” Chan uttered with a cruel softness and Hyunjin gulped with wobbly lips.

 

“Can’t I have one last kiss, my king?” Hyunjin whimpered, but Chan shook his head with a stern gaze.

 

“No, prince. You have two very capable men who could give you everything you could possibly want,” Chan scolded and turned towards his victims for the night. “You’re all very beautiful,” Chan purred out, letting his fingers stroke along the jawline of the freckled blond that had spoken to him originally. “Such a shame, really.” Chan shifted onto the boy with metal around his teeth and slim, but sharp eyes. “You’re young aren’t you? _Weak_.” It wasn’t a spat, no, Chan was simply making an observation. This boy looked far too weak for Chan’s liking, maybe even borderline abused. “Who’s hurt you, hm?” Chan licked a strip up the human’s neck and ended at his ear where he nibbled lightly. The human stayed irritably quiet. “Answer me!”

 

“Sir, he’s a mute!” The freckled boy cried out with a deep voice suddenly, and Chan’s eyes flickered over to him for a moment. Chan knew when a human was lying, and this boy was telling the cold hard truth. Chan stepped away for a moment before ending back up in front of the other. “He was scared into silence. He hasn’t said a word in five years,” the human informed and yeah, Chan knew these two were special. “Please don’t hurt him. If you’re going to hurt someone, hurt me,” the human insisted and Chan took a step back from them completely. Chan was still a cruel man though, so approached the third weakling on the end and tore him to absolute shreds. By the time he was done with the poor human, there was nothing left of him except for his bloodies bones that Chan didn’t bother sucking off. “Holy shit.”

 

Chan stood up, didn’t even bother wiping away the blood around his lips before he approached the blonde human with a mischievous grin. “Would you like for me to save your life? Would you like to be as strong as one of us?” The blonde human looked at him with this dazed glint in his eyes, but Chan was doing nothing but merely looking at him. No mind control, no playing him like a doll, nothing. Turning was a victim’s choice, not the vampire's choice.

 

“Yes,” he breathed out, and Chan smiled. Their lips pressed together, Chan making sure the human had tasted both Chan’s blood and a human’s blood before he pulled away and began to trail kisses down his jaw, and towards his neck. Suddenly, fangs punctured the human’s skin and a screech rang out. Chan had sucked a part of Felix’s soul out with his kisses, so taking him and claiming him as one of his blood children was much easier. It was only a matter of time before the human’s heart stopped breathing and he became limp. He would wake up in two days, and with a certain level of disastrous hunger.

 

The mute human was difficult because something smelt… off. “You are not human are you?”

 

“He’s a fairy,” the man that had Hyunjin pinned earlier spoke up with a bitter tone and Chan turned back towards the other two with a look of confusion.

 

“We remembered how lovely you found fairy blood. I figured I could treat you,” Hyunjin purred from his place behind Jisung and pressing a kiss underneath the younger’s ear afterward. Chan turned back towards the fairy with a frown.

 

“And his wings?”

 

“Clipped.”

 

Clipping a fairy’s wings was a device of pure torture, and even Chan didn’t do it too often unless it was necessary. So, just to make sure it was true, Chan trailed behind the fairy and ripped the shirt on his back to reveal the jagged, pure opal-blue wing stumps in the middle of his pale back. The fairy jolted when Chan ran his fingers along the skin around the stumps, but Chan didn’t stop touching it. Whoever did this didn’t know what they were doing. It looked like a human’s job. Chan urged his neck forward and pressed the tiniest of kisses against the fairy’s shoulder as if he were simply licking at his soul instead of eating it. He was _teasing_. “Would you like to have your wings back, my dear?”

 

Of course, the fairy didn’t answer, but the siren did. “He wants to be one of you. That’s all he’s thinking about right now.” The siren frowned but Chan sighed.

 

“I’m sorry, my dear. I do not have enough self-restraint to resist the taste of your blood and not drink you dry,” Chan apologized and stepped away with a hand going down the fairy’s spine between the two stubs of now trembling wings. In fact, the whole fairy’s body was trembling and Chan had to press his forehead against the back of the creature’s neck. “Untie him. I want him to come with me when I find that wretched witch. He’ll be paying me one last favor before I kill him over and over and over again,” Chan hissed and pulled away, watching him fall to the ground with a weak sob. “You will be strong again, my dear. Your kind used to be admired for their strength,” Chan insisted and held the human by the shoulders as if he were trying to provide some sort of comfort.

 

Chan was cruel, yes, but he knew when someone had to be taken under his wing. When someone had to be one of his. “You two,” Chan ordered, pointing fingers towards Jisung and Hyunjin. “Take him and get him prepared for his first feeding, He’ll be very hungry,” Chan smirked before turning towards the siren. “You, help me with him will you? I’m finding Minho and I’m finding him _now_.” Of course for some unknown reason, Jisung gave him the address to where Minho was without any hesitance, and Chan was set off with the siren by his side and Jeongin awake in his arms.

 

“What is your name?” Chan inquired curiously.

 

“Woojin. This is Jeongin,” Woojin informed, gesturing towards the mute in Woojin’s arms and then it was quiet. Chan walked with his hands clasped behind his back and a determined glint in his eyes, and Woojin took easy strides despite the weight in his arms. “They’ve been waiting for your arrival for a long time, you know? They were so excited to have you back,” Woojin seemed unbearably bitter about it, “They treated you like you were this ultimate god that was going to awake and save them all. But you’re not going to are you?” It was a bold question, it really was, but Chan didn’t find himself being angry about it. Because Woojin wasn’t being rude about it, he was worried about his lovers is all. Chan could respect that.

 

“I-I’m not sure… A part of me believes I will, but a part of me believes I’m not as cruel as I used to be,” Chan’s eyes traveled to the fairy in Woojin’s arms and his mind raced back towards the human he had been following around that night. He’d find that human. He’d keep asking questions and he’d keep observing the outside world through him while he dealt with his business in repairing everything he lost.

 

“Just don’t hurt them. They may be cruel but their hearts are still beating.”

 

It sent shivers down Chan’s spine. He knew what that was implying. Jisung, Hyunjin. Changbin, Felix, everyone else was turned, but for Chan and a few others, they were born that way. They were born into their vampirism, their cruel bloodthirsty ways. They were special, and Chan was the last one left. _That’s_ why he was so important. He was the last lord left, and everyone would try and kill him if they were to find out he was still alive and, _now_ , powerless. “Yes. Yes, of course,” Chan gulped and then it was silent. Chan walked more alongside the others instead of leading and waiting for Woojin’s instructions and somewhere along the way, Jeongin reached out and curled a finger around the white frills poking out of Chan’s deep red velvet jacket. Chan looked at him asking if there was anything he needed, but Jeongin just peered his eyes away and stared ahead. Jeongin must have just wanted some comfort.

 

Finally, they reached a set of steps that lead down into a neon-lit up club and Woojin told Chan to slam against the door six times. Chan thought the six times was a bit excessive but he did so anyway and the door creaked open magically after. Must have been a really bad secret password or something. Woojin entered first, Chan holding the back of his shirt and letting the elder guide him inside until he stopped abruptly and turned towards Chan with an aggressive glint in his eye.

 

“Listen… I know about your unnatural anger with Minho and I know that as soon as you see him you’re going to try and kill him so… will you just stay back? Jeongin is more important than your anger right now,” Woojin muttered down to him, an eyebrow quirked up and fear nowhere near as high as Chan wished it was. Though, it wasn’t as if Chan could argue in a place like this, surrounded by people who would flip their shit if they knew who he was and why he was there, so Chan lingered by the bar in hopes of not attracting attention to himself. Woojin didn’t even say his thanks, only walked off into the crowd with Jeongin clutching his neck tightly in search of the witch who could probably create world peace if he truly wanted to.

 

Getting through the crowd was an absolute nightmare for Woojin as he needed to get past everyone but that could only be accomplished with slight aggressiveness, ‘ _Just push, hyung,_ ’ Jeongin’s voice flew into Woojin’s brain, the elder flickering his eyes down so his eyes were locking with the fairy’s. ‘ _It’s fine. I’ll be fine,_ ’ and Woojin huffed to himself. He had no doubt Jeongin would be fine, but he just looked so small and fragile in Woojin’s arms, so innocent and pure and Woojin wished he hadn’t been dragged into all of this. ‘Stop, worrying so much, hyung. Go, move it,’ Jeongin sassed and Woojin couldn’t help but breathe slightly in amusement before aggressively moving his way through the crowd until he reached the very back where Minho and a raven-haired man with an undercut sat giggling like children.

 

“Erm… Minho? Lee Minho?” Woojin inquired nervously when he reached the edge of the table, relaxing a bit when Jeongin rubbed his bony thumbs into the back of his neck to soothe him. Minho glanced up from his glimmering purple drink with a polite smile and waving softly with his fingers towards the boy in Woojin’s arms.

 

‘ _You’re so awkward, hyung,_ ’ Jeongin snickered in his head, face hidden amongst the crevice of Woojin’s neck for slight protection and if Woojin wasn’t in front of someone very important, he would have scolded Jeongin like a true father right then and there.

 

“At your service. What can I do for you?” Minho hummed in question, resting his chin on his tangled fingers with a Cheshire cat-like grin curling his lips. “Do you need some glamor? A spell that makes someone fall in love with you? Perhaps a spell that makes someone sleep for a thousand years? Oh no, no, I know what you’re here for... an assassin!” Minho exclaimed with bright, almost wild eyes and Woojin flinched back a bit. Though, the raven-haired man grabbed for the lower half of Minho’s forearm, stroking it calmly, “Oh… oh, of course not who am I kidding. I know what you’re here for. Come here, let me see you, love,” Minho slid out of the booth with a much softer, saner tone of voice and Woojin’s eyes flickered over to the other man in the booth, obviously a vampire, watching Minho with pure fondness.

 

Jeongin hesitated slightly but eventually unburied himself from Woojin’s neck so Minho could get a proper look at him. Jeongin was thin, bony even, and his hair was so long and ragged it covered his eyes. Minho couldn’t help but reach out and brush his hair away so he could get a proper look at his fox-like features. This gave Jeongin more of a clear view of the man in front of him, and he had to admit Minho was absolutely ethereal. His hair was a chestnut brown, his sharp but somehow still soft eyes peering down at him lovingly and his smile was… breathtaking to say the least. Sure, Minho was beautiful, but Felix’s smile popped into Jeongin’s head and the boy suddenly flushed and buried his face back into Woojin’s neck, “Why are you so flustered all of the sudden? Where did my sassy Jeongin go, hm?” Woojin cooed, and Jeongin smacked at the back of his neck, _hard_. “There he is,” Woojin hissed.

 

“As cute as this is, I must know what I’m dealing with here,” Minho quipped, trying to cut to the chase so he could get this over with and actually sit down and chat with them peacefully.

 

“Jeongin is a fairy. His wings got clipped a long time ago and we were hoping you could… somehow restore them?” Woojin inquired hopefully, and Minho’s smile faltered for a moment.

 

“Just… let me see something, yeah?” Minho hushed towards Jeongin, cupping his cheek and running his thumbs over his cheekbones. Minho knew who this was from the moment he saw him, but for the sake of his own sanity, he had to know the damage that’s been done to this poor boy. Jeongin slowly nodded and Minho moved his fingers up to Jeongin’s head before leaning at an awkward angle to press their foreheads together. Images of beer bottles flying across rooms, the feeling of nothing but pain and torture that spread across his whole back until it reached every crevice of his body for two whole minutes until he had to separate with a gasp. Minho could take internal, emotional pain into a physical one and that’s what Jeongin felt with every moment because that’s all his mind knows after the clipping of the one thing that makes him whole.

 

‘Please, help me,’ Jeongin whimpered in Minho’s head and the witch’s breath hitched in his throat.

 

“Yes… yeah, baby, I’ll help you. God, you’re in so much pain, aren’t you? So tired… so exhausted… so broken…” Minho paused for a moment, digging deeper into Jeongin’s heart until he reached the happiness, “Oh… but there’s someone isn't there? Someone who represents the sun in your life? Felix is it?” Jeongin whimpered and nodded furiously, “He saved you from your father… but something is wrong with Felix… Oh, gruesome aren’t you, baby?” Minho laughed quietly, pulling away and rubbing comforting circles into the barely existent apples of Jeongin’s cheeks.

 

“What? What did he think about?” Woojin persisted, and Jeongin shrunk in on himself.

 

“It’s okay, baby,” Minho hushed, running his fingers through Jeongin’s hair before glancing up towards Woojin with an almost… _malicious_ smile, “He wishes for his father to be Felix’s first meal…” Jeongin began to squirm at that, afraid of the siren’s reaction but Woojin only curled Jeongin further into his chest and pressed a firm kiss into his forehead.

 

“I’ll make that work, don’t worry, Innie,” Woojin reassured and Jeongin seemed… relatively happy with that arrangement. “I-I… Can we speed this up? There’s someone who wishes to speak with you,” Woojin hushed suddenly, and Minho didn’t look where Woojin was nudging his shoulder to, not yet. He knew who was here and right now, his attention was on Jeongin. “I’m surprised he’s waited this long without trying to attempt to kill you yet,” Woojin admitted and Minho just giggled to himself as he slid back down into the booth with a shake of his head.

 

“Chan is smart. He’s too weak right now to take me on and he knows it too,” Minho shrugged with a small smirk before snapping his fingers. Suddenly, two bulky men approached Woojin and the small fairy in his arms, “They’re going to take you out back and prepare him. You can stay with him if you like,” Minho offered and honestly? Woojin wasn’t about to leave the poor kid alone with a bunch of strangers so followed the two men out toward the back. As soon as Woojin was out of sight, Minho turned toward Changbin with a small smile, “He’s here. Go get him, will you, Bin, love?” Minho mouthed a kiss to the younger’s jaw, and the vampire nodded like the whipped man he was. Chan watched the whole ordeal from the bar and his arms itched with violence when Minho’s sharp eyes met Chan’s equal ones. Any moment now, Chan was going to lunge towards the witch and kill him right then and there but a hand landed on his chest and kept him in place.

 

“Hello, hyung,” Changbin hushed, peering up at Chan with a polite gleam in his eyes. Chan noticed the lack of fondness the younger normally held in his eyes for him, and gulped at the idea that perhaps Changbin didn’t love him anymore, “it’s nice to see you up and running again, but I’m afraid there must be some ground rules put in place,” Changbin continued, grabbing Chan by the shoulder and guiding him over to the table in hopes of starting this off peaceful at the very least but Chan stopped abruptly and forced Changbin to look at him, “Hyung…” Changbin sighed out, not fighting it when Chan’s finger hooked under his chin to pivot his face so it was facing him and only him.

 

“What’s going on, Binnie?” Chan pleaded, but Changbin kept his mouth shut tighter than a drum. Chan let out a tiny sigh, running his thumb over the bottom of Changbin’s lip, along with his jaw, and up by his ear where he knew he liked it, “You’ve left me behind too, haven’t you?” Changbin glanced to the ground with his bottom lip latched between his teeth and Chan felt the betrayal continue to bubble in his stomach.

 

Their tense moment was broken by Minho calling out, “Bang Chan, would you stop stalling? I have business to attend to,” Minho snarled out with a sickeningly sweet grin and Changbin shoved Chan over without another glance towards him. “Sit,” Minho ordered as soon as Chan reached the end of the table, not expecting such a force to come down on his shoulders when Changbin shoved him down into the booth. Since when was Changbin so strong? “Better. Come sit, love,” Minho coaxed with a much softer voice, grabbing for Changbin’s wrist and tugging him down beside him and pressing a sloppy, claiming kiss to both his cheek and behind his ear, _just where he liked it._ Chan’s jaw locked.

 

Chan was so angry he barely had words to form anymore.

 

“Now, let’s get down to why you’re here… you’re going to try and kill me right? Slip a poison into my drink? Try and stab me through the heart or maybe rip it out with your bare hand?” Minho playfully questioned, as if he were a cat wagging his tail teasingly and Chan was the dog that couldn’t get to him. “I’m afraid none of that is going to work, my dear. You’re not strong enough to kill me. You never were and you never will be,” Minho taunted and Chan felt his ears turn red from anger.

 

“Oh trust me, Lee Minho, I’ll rip out each of your teeth, stuff them into your eyes before ripping out your tongue and stitching it over your gut filled mouth,” Chan snarled but Minho wasn’t intimidated.

 

“Watch your own tongue, Chan,” Changbin spoke up suddenly, voice much lower, much more _powerful_. Minho practically purred at hearing it, leaning towards the younger and mouthing at his neck as Chan angrily watched from across the table. “If you so much as lay a finger on him, I’ll skin you alive myself,”

 

“You wouldn’t be the first to try, and you definitely won’t be the last,”

 

“Boys! That’s enough,” Minho growled so loudly the walls around them shook and everyone went momentarily quiet in fear. Minho waited until everyone went back to their own business before speaking, “Go, Binnie. Make sure those idiots are tending to Jeongin properly,” Minho dismissed Changbin with a kiss to the hand and within the next two seconds, Changbin was out of the booth and walking away, “Chan, I’m not sorry for that curse I placed over you. You were getting far too destructive and -”

 

“You stole Changbin away from me. _From his family_ ,” Chan hissed from across the table, cutting Minho off and a natural snarl taking over his features and Minho’s eyes hardened considerably. Before he had been nothing but playful, _provoking_ , but the minute Changbin was dragged into this godforsaken conversation.

 

“I did not steal him away from you, Chan. He was unhappy from the very start! Your little nightmare of a family didn’t pay him the time of day because you thought he was _weak_!” Minho sneered out, not caring for how angry Chan was getting. Chan needed to hear this, “He fell in love with me because I paid attention to him! Now, he is stronger than he has ever been and it’s no thanks to you,” Minho growled, watching Chan with bright purple eyes that were unforgiving and cruel. Minho had a kind heart, he did, but when it came right down to Bang Chan, sometimes he just had to match that same cruelty.

 

It was quick, barely registered when Chan lunged over the table and knocked Minho to the ground. They wrestled for only a few moments, Chan already feeling weak from the lack of blood in his system and it was only a matter of time before Minho was forcing his head into the table they were previously sat at, “I don’t want you coming anywhere near Jeongin or Changbin. You will taint them and make them suffer,” Minho hissed into his ear, but it was no doubt heard by a good few people as the room had gone quiet and now everyone was watching them. Minho roughly let Chan go, digging through his pocket and pulling out a bag with lavender, glittered dust. “Here. Take this. It’s glamor. It’s the only way you’re going to survive in this shit show of a town,” Minho snapped before escaping out the back door and Chan was left panting.

 

Chan felt weak right then and there, lifting himself up and leaning against the table for support. Chan made the mistake of glancing up and he came face to face to none other than Seo Changbin himself, “Changbin…” Chan croaked out, but Changbin crossed his arms over his chest and glanced away with a saddened look in his eyes.

 

“You’re lucky I still love you, Hyung, otherwise he would have put you down for good,” Changbin gruffed out before following in Minho’s footsteps and all Chan felt was a burning anger and betrayal in the pits of his stomach.

  


**660 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

The human world was weird when it wasn’t dominated by his kind. Everything seemed to be in a chaotic, but still somehow orderly system. Everything worked, even if not quite in harmony, and Chan found himself becoming more and more confused and more and more overwhelmed by the loud noises around him. There were these… mechanical carriages that made so much noise and there were other humans around him screaming so loudly his eardrums felt like they were going to shatter. His ears were ringing so loudly he couldn’t function, falling to his knees and holding his head between his palms in hopes of blocking some of the noise out, but he could hear _everything_. Chan didn’t even realize he was screaming until he couldn’t hear anything at all. Nothing but a quiet, soft and familiar voice broke through the ringing and drowned out everything else. “Hey, hey, hey, breathe with me, okay?”

 

Warm, slightly larger but seemingly slimmer and more feminine hands landed over the top of Chan’s and the vampire was forced to open his eyes and meet a pair of warm, puppy-like ones. Chan started to stable his breathing, matching the deep breaths of the other. His body felt numb when Seungmin guided him up by his elbows and helped him down the street only for them to end up in a diner. A pressure on Chan’s shoulders forced him down into one of the booths, but he didn’t care, not when Seungmin went up to the counter, ordered food, and politely asked if they would dim their lights. Chan was grateful for the sudden dim in the harsh blue lights. “Are you okay, now?” Seungmin hushed, once he set a glass of water down on the table and Chan, downed it all in one go. His throat felt so raw and scratchy.

 

“Yes. Thank you for helping me. I should probably be going -”

 

“I ordered your food. You’re not going to let it go to waste are you?” Seungmin attempted to guilt trip, but if Chan were honest, he didn’t care unless Seungmin was about to bring out a tied up human for Chan to drink dry. However, the look in the human’s eye was rather challenging and - was that desperation as well? - and Chan found himself slowly lowering himself back down into the booth. They sat in silence” Chan and Seungmin practically had a staring contest until Chan found himself being startled by a sudden clang. “You’re very easily startled for a dark lord,” Seungmin cracked a joke, but Chan just found himself frowning with a tug of angered eyebrows. Seungmin quiet giggles quickly morphed into an embarrassed half cough and Chan’s mouth opened before he could think.

 

“Why did you stop laughing?”

 

Seungmin stared at him bewildered, “Because you didn’t like the joke? I don’t want to offend you or anything, dude,” Seungmin’s hands were up in surrender, but Chan just found himself glaring at the table and cursing himself for forcing the other to feel so uncomfortable around himself. “What’s got you so worked up over there? You may not know me but you can still talk to me.” Chan wasn’t entirely sure how true that statement was, but he decided that this human may as well know that Chan didn’t enjoy making him uncomfortable.

 

“I’ve made you uncomfortable.”

 

Seungmin’s eyes softened, “Are you comfortable though?” Chan had to think about it. Yeah, yeah he was. For the most part at least. Chan nodded his head. “Than that’s all that matters. Don’t assume I’m uncomfortable when I’m not,” Chan could tell Seungmin was lying about the last part but that was okay.

 

“You are very selfless. Most human’s I’ve experienced are selfish and greedy,” Chan was one to talk. Seungmin cocked his head to the side with a small laugh before taking a sip of his water.

 

“I’m not perfect either. I have my moments,” Seungmin shrugged nonchalantly. Integument and curiosity had long taken over Chan at that point and Chan was left wondering what the hell this human’s purpose was. Did Minho plan this? Is that what this is? Is this human even a human? There was no clear way of telling that wouldn’t be considered creepy so Chan had to sit there and squirm in his seat with smudged makeup, sickly pale cheeks, and messy hair as he stared the poor human dressed as a fairy _down_ . “Hey… come with me,” Seungmin uttered suddenly, slipping out of the booth and waiting patiently for Chan to register what was going on. Soon enough though, they were heading towards the bathrooms and Chan gawked for a moment. Lord, the human world had advanced _that_ much?

 

Seungmin pulled some makeup wipes from the small bag he carried around, using them on himself first to take off all the glitter placed on his face against his will. Seungmin didn’t care how pretty he looked with the glitter, it was messy and _annoying_ . Chan watched the human intently, watching the makeup leave his face with a sort of fascination because he knew what it was and he had to admit that Seungmin was beautiful with the glitter and makeup, he also had to admit that he looked far _more_ beautiful without it. “You’re very beautiful,” Chan uttered out carefully, voice slow and smooth. It sent shivers down Seungmin’s spine but he spared the vampire an odd look. He wasn’t weirded out, he just hadn’t ever really met someone like him that was so straightforward. _Didn’t he know that they don’t take kindly to us? If I were like any other asshole here, you’d be dead right now for even saying that_.

 

“Thank you… would you like for me to take off your makeup as well?” Seungmin wondered with a tiny grin, but it faltered when he saw Chan cough awkwardly and step away with his eyes flitting downward.

 

“I’m not certain you would like to see me without it,” Chan had a dark heart, and a dark heart didn’t always mean evil. He was insecure about what was under the mask of makeup he had been forced to wear for the last six lifetimes. There was a time in society that nobles were forced to wear it for weeks on end, and Chan could only imagine what his skin would be like under all of it. However, a warm hand cupped his jaw and something wet was pressed against his cheek. Chan’s breath hitched at how warm Seungmin was. He definitely wasn’t used to the heat a human could provide and he found himself melting into it and ruining whatever reputation he had left.

 

“There we go…” Seungmin hummed, applying more pressure to Chan’s face until a good portion of it was off with the first wipe. As a final effort to fully cleanse Chan’s face, Seungmin pulled out another wipe and gave Chan’s face another once-over before smiling down at him. Surprisingly, Chan’s skin was clear and oh so smooth, but he was just so pale. Though, his eyes were beautiful and soft without the heavy eyeliner around them and his lips a beautiful peachy color that made Seungmin’s heart skip. If he were honest, he was willing to risk it all to take home this weirdo he had met home tonight. “See? You’ve got some looks too, dude,” Seungmin turned Chan towards the mirror and Chan just… observed. He hadn't seen his plain face in a long time and he felt… vulnerable because there was no mask to hide the cruel layer underneath. “You look so innocent and small without the makeup, hyung.”

 

“Nonsense,” Chan muttered before stepping away from the mirror but he accidentally backed into Seungmin’s chest causing the younger to stumble and nearly fall to the floor. Though, with Chan’s rapid vampire reflexes, he has whirled around and gripping Seungmin by the shirt collar to stable him within a blink of an eye. “Clumsy, clumsy fool,” Chan chastised, but his grip never softened on Seungmin’s shirt collar. The human’s eyes flickered down to Chan’s lips after he looked into his eyes for a while and now he was leaning in and - no - Chan backed away with nothing more than a slight release of cold breath fanning over Seungmin’s face before he walked out of the bathroom completely. What the fuck was that?

 

There was absolutely no way Chan was about to fall into that pit. He didn’t have the energy to turn another soul that night.

 

When he walked out into the diner, he was certain he was just going to leave right there and never turn back. Maybe he’d go back to his castle in the mountains and never come back down to the city again but Chan knew he’d starve if he were to do that. He needed to suck it up. So, he sat down in the booth and stared down the plate of food in front of him. All Chan could think was that this type of ramen surely wasn’t edible and what the absolute fuck was that smell that made his eyes water and his nose runny? “I hope you can handle spicy stuff, this ramen is the best ramen if you can eat it,” Seungmin shrugged nonchalantly, handing Chan a pair of chopsticks and some napkins as he slid back into the booth and began to dig into his food like no tomorrow. Chan was a bit intimidated by it so played with it for a good five minutes before Seungmin forced a bit of it into Chan’s mouth.

 

“You fool!” Chan screeched through a mouthful of food but all Seungmin could do was snicker and ponder why the fuck Chan spoke as if he was out of the 1600’s. Chan had to admit that the ramen tasted quite nice after he got past the spices, however, this did nothing to satisfy his hunger and Seungmin shouldn’t have bought this for him considering it was pointless. Soon, though, Seungmin finished his food and paid for Chan’s meal. He was far too tired to try and carry on a conversation at this point, not even considering the fact that he was walking home with this practical stranger walking by his side. “You live here?” Chan’s nose was snarled up once they reached the trashed house on the off side of town where it seemed to reek of nothing but people who preferred to be eaten from the inside out. Chan hated those kinds of humans, as they didn’t have nearly enough life to them for their blood to be useful to Chan.

 

“Shit… Sorry, man, it didn’t even register in my head you were still with me,” Seungmin chuckled breathily, dripping with so much exhaustion Chan was growing concerned. “Listen, you can head on home if you want. I’ll be fine,” Chan was good at telling if a human was lying or not, and Seungmin wasn’t lying, but it was almost as if he didn’t want Chan to leave at all. So, they walked for a few more seconds, Chan having an internal moral battle about why he should be taking Seungmin home. The small decent sliver of his soul screamed and clawed at Chan telling him that he needs to be doing this to make sure he was safe, but the animalistic hunger that hadn’t been satisfied yet said ‘make him your prey.’

 

“It would be rude of me not to walk you home as you treated me to dinner,” Chan grinned, fangs as shiny as pearls in the moonlight, and all Seungmin could do was gawk.

 

“These look so real. Good job on the fangs, man,” Any other day, Chan would have flinched away when a human came towards his mouth, but he let Seungmin poke at the fangs a bit. Though, it all seemed to go wrong when a shiver coursed down Chan’s spine, “Fuck!” blood dribbled down the tip of Seungmin’s finger, the human not aware that some of it had hit Chan’s taste buds and prompted the vampire’s eyes to roll into the back of his head. Chan had quite the sweet tooth when it came to blood, that’s why he was so lured in by Hyunjin as he had the sweetest tasting blood he had ever had, but Seungmin’s was savory _and_ sweet. It tasted like a pie of sorts, the bread lingering with cinnamon and deep red raspberries on the inside. Chan had to curl his fists so tightly it was painful to hold himself back from devouring Seungmin’s very soul right then and there. “Shit, where did you get those?”

 

“Custom made,” Chan shrugged casually, backing away a bit when Seungmin leaned towards. The still dripping blood was beginning to mess with Chan’s senses, the hunger in his stomach swirling and swirling and swirling until it was overbearing. “Let’s get going, shall we? Treating that finger is a top priority now,” Chan’s voice was scarily soft, Seungmin naive towards the emptiness towards it and let himself be lured into the soft lips of Chan. They continued walking, the sky beginning to brighten up considerably and Chan grew weary of his pale skin that would surely burn under the sun with him being so weak at the time.

 

“Jesus, the sun’s already trying to light up the sky. My sleep schedule is proper fucked now,” Seungmin muttered to himself in despair, tugging his jacket closer around his body when a cold breeze flew through. Chan didn’t even have time to respond before he was startled by a loud ringing and Seungmin pulled out a loud device from his pocket. Seungmin rolled his eyes at whatever was on the shiny screen of his phone before he swiped his thumb across the surface only to silence it and shove up to his ear, “Be quick, hyung. I’m on low battery.”

 

“Is Chan with you?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Give him the phone.” Seungmin was confused as to why Jisung was calling him to talk to Chan but passed him the phone anyway. Chan just kind of stared at it for a moment before following along with what Seungmin had done and spoke so softly into the phone that Seungmin had to keep himself from cooing.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Channie hyung, come back to my place tonight when you get the chance. You threw away two of the meals I provided you so I’ve made a few replacements. We have to strengthen you so you’re back to your full potential before the next nightfall.”

 

“Of course, Jisung.”

 

“Good… good… I’ll be waiting.”

 

“Goodbye, Jisung.”

 

“Goodbye, my king.” And then Chan was handing the phone back over to Seungmin and felt a sense of relief wash over him when he stopped in front of a house five minutes later.

 

“This is me,” Seungmin trailed off shyly, turning towards Chan when he reached the end of the pathway that leads up to his front door. Chan hummed in acknowledgment, peering up at Seungmin with a quirk of his lips and Seungmin felt his bottom lip slide between his teeth until it was being brutally abused. Seungmin really, really wanted to steal a kiss from him, maybe even coax him inside for the night, but something held himself back from being oh so bold. Though, Seungmin wasn’t about to let Chan leave for the night without showing at least a slight bit of interest. He might not ever see this man again, so why not? “Goodnight, Channie Hyung,” Seungmin whispered out cutely and pressed his plush lips against Chan’s hollow, pale cheeks with a grin. Seungmin had no idea that with every touch, he was slowly feeding Chan bits and pieces of his soul. He had no idea that eventually Chan would grow as strong as he used to be and he would no longer be allowed to touch Chan in any shape or form.

 

Though, he didn’t exactly know that he’d be seeing Chan again either.

 

“Goodnight, Seungmin,” And Seungmin slowly detached himself from Chan’s presence, walked up the pathway with his heart pumping in his chest and oblivious to the pure gold eyes that flashed across Chan’s irises for a split second and that he wasn’t walking away until Seungmin was safely in his home. It seemed as though the exhaustion didn’t quite hit until Seungmin managed to stumble through the door, his eyes falling onto all the broken and shattered shit around him. Great. Another robbery. Why do they insist on constantly targeting his house? He doesn’t even have anything! He doesn’t even have a bed frame, damnit. Seungmin rubbed at his face before waving everything off and trailing up the narrow, creaky stairs that he was sure would give out any day now and face planted face first into his bed.

 

Seungmin just barely managed to slip his fairy wings and shoes off on the way up to his room, and he threw them away somewhere in the hallway he was pretty sure. He was too tired to care. Seungmin grabbed the thin sheet with rips in it and curled it around himself in hopes of providing some warmth but he was only left falling asleep in a state of cold discomfort that not even the morning, warm sun beaming in through his window could fix. Seungmin would be okay though, he could survive without the warmth, but he found himself craving for something warm.

  
  


**645 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

Granted, Seungmin never slept much, to begin with, but the next few days following Halloween were spent sleeping, half cleaning the mess the robbers made, and perhaps actual work. If Seungmin were honest, he doesn’t remember much as he’s practically turned nocturnal at that point so actually starting his days were hard to do. Though, he had to admit that it was nice that all of his friends were awake at the hours he was now, as he happened to be the only person that actually walked around in the daytime it seemed. On the contrary, as odd as it may seem, Seungmin tended not to question what his friends were like, they were already pretty fucking weird, to begin with, and they kept him sane when everything else felt like it was crumbling around.

 

Loud knocks that practically rattled the walls came rapping at the door, Seungmin dropped the trash bag full of glass down onto the floor with a huff as he padded over to the door. As soon as he swung it open, a familiar figure slightly shorter than him shoved his way through the door quickly. “Jesus, were you going to leave me out there all night to freeze to death?” Minho hissed, rubbing at his nose with the furry, soft sleeve of his jacket and Seungmin just watched him with a frown.

 

“You knocked once, hyung,” Seungmin murmured, slightly concerned that Minho was that cold from standing outside for a few minutes. That was when Minho matched his frown, burying his small, freezing hands into his pockets when he realized his apartment wasn’t much better.

 

“Minnie, I knocked five times…” Seungmin blinked at his hyung owlishly, slowly letting his hands fall to his sides as he tried to think about how the fuck he hadn’t heard his hyung knocking when Minho was known for his barreling, extremely loud knocks that did, in fact, rattle Seungmin’s whole house at times. “I thought you had died or something. I was ready to kick down the door,” Minho huffed like a child, tugging his jacket tighter around his torso and staring at the sight all around him with an exasperated look, “Not like you need one at this point anyway since people seem to come and go as they please,” Seungmin snorted at that, leaving Minho’s side to trail back into the kitchen. His friend’s fancy shoes, that were likely worth more than what Seungmin makes in a month, clicked against the floor and occasionally crushing glass that seemed to make Minho wince internally. His poor shoes…

 

“There a reason you’re here?” Seungmin murmured as he slowly swept the glass from the countertop into the trash bag which had to be some sort of safety hazard.

 

“Firstly, yeah, but I want to sit down and talk about it. Secondly, stop doing that you’re going to get yourself hurt, and at this rate, I’m not even sure if you have a first aid kit anywhere in this mess of a house,” Minho snarled his nose up at everything around him. He knew Seungmin struggled endlessly when it came to money, and that he was far too stubborn to actually accept any help. The kid didn’t even accept Christmas presents over 15,000 won. Minho grabbed the broom from the corner and began to sweep it onto the dustpan before dumping all the shattered glass into the trash bag Seungmin was holding open. For the next three hours at roughly two in the morning with the moon high in the sky and basking an illuminating light onto the creatures out and about, Minho and Seungmin cleaned Seungmin’s house until it was spotless.

 

By the time Seungmin’s back hit the couch, it was five am, the sun was beginning to rise, and Seungmin knew Minho would have to leave soon, but he figured he could enjoy the elder snuggled up to his side and provide his freezing skin some heat, “How on earth are you not dying right now?” Minho murmured when he ran his hands up and down Seungmin’s arms, hooking a leg over the top of Seungmin’s right thigh after he turned the music down a bit so they could hear each other speak. All Minho got in response was a shrug and Seungmin trying to be discrete with leaning into him. “Come here,” Minho hushed, pulling Seungmin so close Minho was practically in his lap and neither one cared. This was rather normal for them.

 

“What did you want to talk about, hyung?” Seungmin wondered as Minho traced odd shapes and symbols into Seungmin’s skin, whispering under his breath words Seungmin couldn’t understand. To the human, this wasn’t worth observing, but for the witch, this was Minho remarking his territory, placing a shield on him that warded him away from every danger that could possibly come his way. Minho did it every Halloween, as it only lasted a year, but he didn’t get the chance to do it that year, so Seungmin was lucky he was still alive and fine. Minho wondered what had been driving off the supernatural beings that were naturally attracted to Seungmin during that time but there wasn’t a secretive way of determining. Seungmin could not find out about what his world, about the small sliver of himself that is abnormal, because Minho is fearful of what it could do to Seungmin.

 

“I think… just bear with me for a second because I know how you are about these things, but I think I might be in love with Changbin,” Minho hushed out, fiddling with the collar of Seungmin’s t-shirt shyly. Seungmin wasn’t shocked by the confession if anything he was shocked that it had taken this long for Minho to realize it. The two had been together ever since Seungmin had met them, and that was years ago. So, the younger merely rubbed his palms up and down the elder’s back soothingly and hummed in understanding, “You would think I would have come to that conclusion a while ago but… things are complicated for me, for both of us, and that kind of thing doesn’t come easily and -” Minho stopped his rambling for a second and took in a deep breath before cocking his head to the side with a locked jaw, as if he was afraid to utter the next few words, “And I’m terrified.”

 

Seungmin didn’t do anything else besides tug Minho’s head so it was lying against his chest, “It’s gonna be okay, Hyung. There’s not a reason to be scared,” Seungmin promised with a grin, and Minho so badly wanted to scoff at that. Minho told Seungmin everything except for the supernatural world, and sometimes it was hard to tell him things when so many factors that come into play can’t even be explained to Seungmin. Minho wanted to tell him, he really did, but he couldn’t. Not yet. “We both know deep down he’s absolutely smitten for you. I’m honestly surprised that he hasn’t confessed yet either. I’m surprised both of you haven’t confessed your undying love for each other yet,” Seungmin snickered, earning a weak punch to the chest. “Point is, you should tell him. Changbin, the man who claims to be this badass who can kill you with his bare hands, would become a flustered mess if you were to tell him that.” Minho couldn’t argue with that.

 

“Yeah… Yeah, you’re right. There’s nothing to be scared of,” Minho agreed, but it was as if he was more or so reassuring himself than actually agreeing to the statement.

 

“In fact, you’re going to call him right now, tell him to bring a pizza, and then slip it in at the end,” Seungmin grinned cheekily, and wow suddenly everything wasn’t okay again. Seungmin even went as far as digging through Minho’s furry jacket to find it and dial Changbin’s number before Minho could even register what was going on. Minho practically shrieked when the phone was shoved into his hand and Seungmin hissed out a low, “Talk to him.” Minho shoved the phone up to his ear at the exact moment Changbin picked up the phone and felt his heart beating at 70 miles per hour. Why was he so nervous? It was just Changbin after all.

 

_“Hello?”_

 

“Hey, love.”

 

_“Oh, hey, Diamond. What do you need?”_

 

“I’m at Minnie’s house right now and we could really do with some pizza.”

 

_“Sure thing, diamond. The usual?”_

 

“Of course.”

 

_“I’ll be there in twenty.”_

 

“Be sure to bundle up. Seungmin’s heating isn’t working.”

 

_“I’ll bring some blankets too. Lord knows the kid needs it.”_

 

“Ok…” Minho paused for a moment, sparing Seungmin a sideways glance who just glared at him sharply. “I love you.”

 

It was quiet for a moment, and Minho feared he had just ruined everything, “ _I love you too, diamond._ ” But he hadn’t.

 

Minho dropped his phone into his lap with a deep, relieved sigh before sinking further into Seungmin’s chest when they finally had the nerve to hang up the phone. “You’re going to kill me one day, Kim Seungmin,” Minho grumbled, swatting at his friend’s chest before turning towards the small TV in the corner and grabbing for the remote. They managed to pull up some older 90’s movies and relax for a bit. Well, to the best of their ability at least considering it was freezing, the only light source in the room, a lamp, was on the floor and they could just barely see the TV. Luckily enough, they were saved by knocks at the door Minho jumped up before Seungmin could even blink to answer it. “Oh thank god, I thought we were going to die from the cold,” Minho huffed, pulling Changbin in by the collar of his thick, black hoodie, shutting the door behind him, taking the pizza pox out of his hands to pass it to Seungmin’s waiting ones, and then finally burying his face into Changbin’s shoulder.

 

“Seungminnie ah! You’re not supposed to let my boyfriend freeze!” Changbin called out with muffled laughter due to his own face forcefully buried into Minho’s neck. Seungmin came around the corner, a paper plate in hand with a large slice of pizza on top with a singular bite taken out of it.

 

“There’s only so much I can do, hyung,” Seungmin pointed out through a mouthful of food. “As cute as this is, if you don’t start grabbing slices, I’m going to eat the entire box,” that seemed to grab Minho’s attention well enough as he immediately shoved his boyfriend out of the way to dart into the kitchen in search of food, leaving Seungmin and Changbin laughing quietly. “How are you, hyung?” Seungmin slung an arm over Changbin’s shoulder, going to guide them towards the kitchen but Changbin seemed pretty convinced to stay right where he was by the doorway. Seungmin couldn’t really blame him though, Minho ravished at pizza like a wild animal at times and it’s best to stay away until he’s got his share.

 

“Been alright. Things have been a little hectic lately but that’s regular after Halloween,” Changbin ran a well-known tattoo parlor that was partnered with a witchcraft shop. Seungmin hadn’t ever been in there as the people there were an odd bunch and it freaked him out, but he would gladly go in through the back and hang out in Changbin’s office until he was forced to go back home. Suddenly, a hand was swept through Seungmin’s long, brown hair and Changbin peered up at him like a parent, “I’m taking you to my hairdresser this week and I’m treating you to a haircut. Don’t even try and argue with me on this,” Unfortunately for Seungmin, he really couldn’t argue as he had a mouthful of pizza but Changbin was scary at times and that was definitely one of those times. So, Seungmin just huffed and let his shoulders sink in submission and Changbin grinned cheekily. “Good.”

 

“Your turn, love,” Minho stated casually, ignoring the way Changbin was holding Seungmin at his hips and plopping down on the couch with an exasperated sigh. Changbin patted Seungmin on the back, dropping the thick blankets down on the couch next to Minho before waltzing into the kitchen to grab his share. Seungmin wasn’t sure why he was hovering by the door, but he remained in his position, watching the tv intently and munching on his pizza like his life depended on it. “Minnie~ Why are you hovering creepily by the door?” Minho whined, shifting his body so his chin was resting on the back of the couch and his already naturally pouty lips somehow became poutier.

 

“I’m protecting you in case those bastards decide to rob me again tonight,” Seungmin joked, but it wasn’t funny for Minho clearly as he didn’t even bother to do that awkward giggle he does when he thinks something isn’t that funny. Of course, Changbin just so happened to walk in at that moment.

 

“Wait, what? You got robbed again?” Changbin snapped out of pure disbelief which prompted Seungmin to flinch back, “I’m getting you an alarm system. I don’t care if you don’t want to accept our help. I want you to be safe,” Changbin snarled, setting the plate of pizza down on the floor where Minho’s feet were and sitting down next to him. Seungmin huffed, shoving his own plate into their laps before storming over to a closet by the tv, pulling out two small objects and then slamming them on the coffee table where the two supernatural beings could see. A silver hunting knife with a jagged ending glimmered under the moonlight, but Minho nibbled at his lower lip when he saw the small, black Glock that could easily be hidden along slightly bigger clothing.

 

“I will be just fine,” Seungmin uttered lowly, taking the weapons from the coffee table to put them away when Changbin attempted to reach out and touch the old Glock and hunting knife. God, the vampire could remember when the first gun was produced… that was an interesting time for all vampires who were afraid of the iron bullets hunter were so desperate to use on them.

 

“At least… At least let us get you a guard dog or something…” Minho trailed off wearily, and as cute as a dog sounded, Seungmin could barely afford to feed himself.

 

“I know you guys just want to help but I’m not a charity case,” Seungmin crossed his arms over his chest insecurely, and Minho found his heart dropping to his stomach. The last thing they wanted was for Seungmin to feel like a burden or a special case of any sort. They just want to help their friend, that was it. Because in their eyes, Seungmin deserved the world and they were willing to give it to him so he could live happily without having to work three jobs that paid little to nothing. Minho sighed, getting up from his seat on the couch and approaching Seungmin with quiet footsteps.

 

“Come here,” Minho murmured, waiting for Seungmin to lean in a bit before cupping his cheeks and making sure Seungmin’s attention was on him and him alone, “You are not a charity case. We do not pity you and we do not feel obligated to help you. We want to help you because you deserve it and we’re worried we might come to visit you and you’ve died from starvation, the cold, or a stab wound. Let us help you, baby,” Minho pleaded, rubbing his thumbs against the apples of Seungmin’s cheeks. Seungmin was like a little brother to Minho, and he just wanted to take care of him. Seungmin sighed, gently removing Minho’s hands from his face and holding them loosely.

 

“Listen, the only thing I need help with is a better sleep schedule,” God, Kim Seungmin you stubborn little bitch, “But… if you’re feeling so inclined to help me then just… buy me a coffee every once and a while, hm?” Minho figured that was the best he was going to get and was just happy Seungmin was slowly learning to accept their help. Minho nodded and pulled Seungmin into a gentle but firm hug, allowing the younger to back them up until the back of Minho’s legs hit the edge of the couch and he was shoved down into Changbin’s lap. “Be lovey-dovey while I make us tea,” Seungmin ordered before swiftly escaping into the kitchen to dig through his cupboards slowly to give Minho and Changbin time to talk. Eventually, he managed to put water into the kettle and lay out three mugs with bags of peppermint tea in them.

 

Seungmin waited for the kettle to heat up patiently, peering out the window in an almost protective manner, but froze up when he saw a familiar figure pace down the street at an extremely fast pace. Seungmin darted out the kitchen, fumbling with the lock on his door before pulling it open wildly and walking outside in a slightly crazed manner. Chan glanced up at the sudden loud footsteps, startling a bit when he saw Seungmin practically jumping his steps to get to him. “You’re an enthusiastic little thing aren’t you?” Chan murmured quietly, voice barely above the high, chilling wind blowing through the trees, but it sent more goosebumps down Seungmin’s arms than the wind could ever dream of.

 

“Says the man who introduced himself as a dark lord when we first met,” Seungmin retorted, voice a little higher pitched than usual when he accidentally peered into Chan’s unusually sharp eyes. The man was wearing normal clothes now, a large oversized hoodie, baggy camo pants that Seungmin is pretty sure he’s seen on Jisung once or twice, and a pair of black lace-up boots. Chan looked hot to Seungmin but he suddenly realized his own state with a ripped shirt and stained sweatpants and socks that were once white but now more of a brown color. “It’s a bit dangerous for you to be walking around at this time of day. You might get mugged,” Chan cocked his head to the side at the last word, confusion obviously taking over and Seungmin couldn’t help but be reminded of some sort of puppy. “You know… like being attacked,” Seungmin explained slowly with a furrow of his eyebrows and Chan’s mouth formed an ‘o’ when it finally clicked.

 

“Your concern is flattering but you do not have to be worried. I am more than capable of defending myself,” Chan explained, straightening his stance and clasping his hands behind his back. The gentle, quirk of a smile that just barely revealed dimples made Seungmin’s head spin and he was quite ready to throw himself at this man but he managed to hold himself back. At this point, Changbin and Minho were observing them from the porch, Changbin having not interfered until he felt like he could worm his way in without being weird about it.

 

“Chan hyung?” Chan snapped his eyes over Seungmin’s shoulder the same time Seungmin whirled around, Changbin flinching at the sudden attention but clearing his throat anyway, “It’s kind of early for you. I’m assuming you haven’t slept?” Changbin questioning, smirking to himself when he saw Seungmin and Chan glance at each other for a moment, Chan’s tongue swiping across his lips for a moment before nodding his head in confirmation when he looked back in Changbin’s direction, “Maybe you should come inside and join us. We have pizza?”

 

“Pizza…” Chan said slowly as if he were testing the word on his tongue and Seungmin gawked at him in complete shock.

 

“Are you trying to tell me you’ve never had pizza before?” Chan felt his stomach lurch when Seungmin almost sounded offended at the question and was almost scared to shake his head. Seungmin made a noise that slightly resembled fear, hands reaching up to tug Chan’s hood over his head and drag him inside by the wrist, “Nope, nope, nope, I refuse to be friends with someone who's never tried pizza,” Seungmin practically screeched, Chan catching their eyes and practically begging for help but Minho and Changbin weren’t about to give up this golden moment for the world. So, they followed Chan and Seungmin inside, watching from the doorway as Seungmin practically shoved a slice of pizza into Chan’s unprepared mouth. “Well?” Seungmin asked impatiently, and Changbin couldn’t hold in his snort.

 

“Seungmin, give the man a second,” Changbin scolded, but Seungmin resumed to just roll his eyes with slightly flushed cheeks.

 

“It’s good…” Chan murmured out before taking another bite at a much slower pace and a much smaller portion. Seungmin seemed happy with himself, and Changbin and Minho were grateful he didn’t fall into another one of his long-winded rants about how pizza was god’s gift to earth. So, the couple left seungmin and Chan alone in the kitchen alone, and Seungmin felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. The ironic part was that he didn’t want Chan to know how nervous he made him but Chan could hear the younger's heart beating wildly in his ears, and he had to keep himself from smirking around his pizza.

 

“Do you want some tea?” Chan nodded his head, watching Seungmin’s every move as he boiled more water in the kettle, pulling down another mug and resting a peppermint tea bag inside. Seungmin frowned when he realized he only had two tea bags left after that but didn’t voice his concerns. He guessed he could survive without it for a few weeks. The two rested in opposite corners of the kitchen, Seungmin situating himself up on the corner and Chan standing up perfectly straight near the wall. Seeing just how good his posture was made Seungmin insecure of his own hunched shoulders and he attempted to fix it but when Chan noticed, he winced. The vampire set down his plate of pizza and approached the younger on the opposite side.

 

“That is not a proper way of sitting. Let me help you,” Chan uttered, hands inching towards Seungmin’s thighs as the younger went rigid. The two tried to ignore how tense Seungmin had gotten all the sudden, especially when Chan’s icy cold palms landed on Seungmin’s warm hips and tugged him towards the edge of the counter. If Chan had looked up any higher to meet Seungmin’s eyes, Seungmin couldn’t promise that they’d leave that kitchen anytime soon so felt himself breath out slightly in relief when Chan never did. “Treat it as if you had a tail. Push lower half all the way to the back of the chair -“ Seungmin wiggled backward until his lower back hit the wall, Chan guiding him a bit with his hands sliding to the sides of his thighs, “and then bend at the waist, back straight and shoulders up,” Seungmin acted as if he had a corset, back fully pressed against the back wall and it hurt a bit but he felt taller than he already was, “yes, perfect. If you do it the other way, it will harm your spine. So no chest out,”

 

“Thank you, Hyung,” Seungmin grinned widely and with disappointment fluttering in his chest, watched Chan back away from him. Silence fell over the two of them once more but this time it was comfortable, _wanted_. Though the loud screeching of the kettle broke the silence and both of them flinched at the sharp noise. Seungmin jumped down from his place on the counter to tend to the kettle, accidentally bumping his shoulder into Chan’s chest when he too attempted to gather his own hot water for his own tea. “It’s okay, hyung, I’ve got it,” Seungmin grinned, but never nudging the vampire back even if his hovering presence made him feel a bit nervous. Seungmin grabbed for the pale green mug on the counter, tugging it forward to pour the scalding hot water into it. Seungmin bobbed the tea bag a few times, knowing to the way Chan observed him so intently and hating every second of it. Seungmin gently passed the hot mug to the elder, watching him grab it at the base but not flinch when his fingertips touched the hot surface. Seungmin found it odd but didn’t question it.

 

Chan practically purred when the warm tea went down his throat, “It’s been a very long time since I’ve had peppermint tea,” Chan hushed out, voice as smooth as the liquid he was drinking, not nearly as warm but enough to not be chilling. Seungmin grinned widely, grabbing for his own mug and coaxing Chan out of the kitchen and into the living room where Minho and Changbin were cuddled up under the couch. It was only then that Chan actually observed everything and frowned to himself when he realized just how little Seungmin had in terms of… everything. He didn’t even have a fireplace to warm up his human body. Chan kept his mouth sewed shut tight though because something told him that Seungmin wouldn’t handle a comment like that well. “You may have the third place on the couch. I will sit on the floor,” Chan uttered, going to move but Minho made a noise of disapproval.

 

“I’ll just sit in Bin’s lap,” Minho insisted, shifting so he was cuddled up to Changbin’s smaller body but the younger didn’t seem to mind too much. It must have been a lot warmer in the long run. “Come sit, Seungmin,” Minho patted the spot he was originally in, “It’s all nice and warm for you,” Any other day, Seungmin would have gagged at the statement but if he were honest, his ass was freezing. So, he immediately curled up in the tiny spot he was given, the leg on Minho’s and Changbin’s side propped up so he could rest his chin on it and the other crossed as if he were sitting Indian style. Chan still seemed unsure of sitting on the couch but Minho wasn’t having any of it, “Channie Hyung, just sit down. Seungmin doesn’t bite much,” The younger ordered, and if Chan didn’t have a slight sense of self-control, he probably would have ripped Minho’s head off right then and there but they both knew Seungmin had to stay oblivious to the tension between them. They would hash it out later.

 

Chan glanced to Seungmin though, and the younger shyly patted the cushion beside him. As soon as Chan sat down, Changbin chucked a blanket their way and when Seungmin went to go share it, Chan waved him off, “It’s fine, I don’t need it.” That didn’t seem to sit well with Seungmin in general, but he made no effort of arguing as he had a mouthful of tea and very little energy. They proceeded to watch a drama, Seungmin cooing at the noises Chan made every once in a while at not only the TV but what was actually playing on as well. However, the more it went on, the more sleepy Seungmin got, and eventually, he was too sleepy to notice Chan slowly worming his feet under the blanket until their knees touched and Chan’s cold, socked feet hit his own. Seungmin smiled shyly to himself before letting his eyes droop closed, and right before he fell asleep he ‘accidentally’ shifted the blanket so it was covering a good portion of Chan’s lap. The elder never moved it off of him either.

  


Seungmin was coherent enough to hear some of what was going on around him, but not enough to remember it later. He just barely registered that someone was carrying him, and twined his rather thin arms around the person’s neck. Seungmin recognized it as Changbin not only from the cologne but the familiar chuckle that escaped his lips afterward. Though there was someone else walking alongside them, Seungmin had no idea who it could be as Changbin only referred to them as ‘hyung’ “Open the first door on the right, hyung,” Changbin hushed, Seungmin practically melting at the warm honey tone Changbin only really used on rare occasions. Soon, Seungmin’s arms were unraveled from Changbin’s neck and he was lowered onto a cold, uncomfortable mattress.

 

“Should I go get those blankets from downstairs?” _Chan_.

 

“Nah, I’ll go. Stay here,” Seungmin heard a pat on a shoulder and quiet footsteps fade away from the room. Faintly, as if Chan was dragging the tips of his toes against the ground trying to be quiet, the man circled his room before he stopped on the other side of the mattress sitting on the floor. Seungmin could feel his stare boring into him, studying him, and Seungmin knew Chan knew he was awake. For a moment, Seungmin was sure Chan was going to call him out on it, but two pairs of footsteps were heard and the breath Chan let out was quickly sucked back into his lugs, “Perhaps we don’t need to get him a guard dog when we have Chan Hyung watching over him like a hawk,” The eyes on Seungmin snapped away and Seungmin felt like he could breathe again.

 

“...That’s not a bad idea you know. It would give Chan Hyung something to do,” Minho teased, but a tense air draped over them like a sheer sheet.

 

“That won’t be necessary, I’ll be running a successful business by the end of the next week,” Chan retorted, tone cold and harsh, so much so Seungmin had to hold himself back from flinching at the edge to them. Minho and Changbin sighed lowly, and Seungmin could practically see the look they were giving him.

 

“Are you going to be strong enough to handle the backlash when the others find out your back?”

 

“The others won’t be around to find out,” Chan snapped, and Seungmin shuddered. The man was cute at times he admitted to himself a while ago, but Chan was _scary_ when he was serious. Seungmin admired that, it meant he had a backbone. That was hard to find nowadays.

 

“What on Earth are you even going to do -”

 

“Minho Hyung, enough,” Changbin cut in quickly, dismissing any tension in the room that had been there since the very start.

 

Seungmin froze when he felt Chan’s gaze on him once more, heartbeat picking up when Chan kneeled down at the side of the bed and cocked his head to the side almost as if he were testing Seungmin. Everyone tensed when Seungmin decided to flip over so he was facing Chan, half of his face buried in his pillow. The only part of his body that reacted to Chan’s sudden touch to his cheek bone was his heart, and Seungmin had no idea that Chan knew exactly what he did to Seungmin. It was probably for the best though. “I have to get going. I have a meeting with Jisung and Hyunjin,” And then the door shut and Seungmin was left in the silence of his room but now warm from the blankets Chan had placed over him before he left.

 

And if maybe Seungmin didn’t remember it later, then it was fine, because it wouldn’t have changed the end result any.

  
  


**619 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

“Hello, hyung,” A familiar voice greeted the moment Chan stepped through the door, the elder flinching a bit at the obvious emptiness to it. Hyunjin was… an emotional being and incredibly sensitive, so when he was nothing but empty the world should fear for its safety. The situation only revealed itself to be worse when Chan turned to face Hyunjin, face bare from any makeup and body draped in rags that vaguely resembled a commoner’s back in their days of reign when they slept. Hyunjin, no matter what day it was, was dressed in something. That’s how they were taught to be; Chan just guessed old habits never die. “Felix is in the basement with Jeongin’s dad. He should wake up any moment,” There was a crack to his tone this time, and Chan realized that Hyunjin wasn’t empty, he was just so upset he was trying to hide it. Instead of heading down to the basement as he was told to do so, Chan approached Hyunjin and kneeled down in front of the large chair the younger was curled up in.

 

“What’s got you so upset, hm?” Chan reached up to stroke the bad of his thumb along Hyunjin’s jaw in an effort to calm him down and get him to soften up a bit, but Hyunjin only flinched away with a whimper and a shake of his head. Chan only realized when he let his hands travel down to Hyunjin’s that rested between his crossed legs that Hyunjin was trembling. Even then though, Hyunjin shook him off and brought the side of his thumbnails up to his teeth to nibble in anxiety. Chan settled for resting them on Hyunjin’s knees when the younger didn’t react in a negative way. “Come on, tell hyung,” Chan coaxed, and a Hyunjin let out a shaky breath.

 

“Jisung and I got into a fight,” Hyunjin croaked out, voice starting out loud and confident but the more he spoke, the quieter he became, “H-He thinks I still have feelings for you - which I don’t -” Hyunjin started, voice hard and a finger poking up to cut off any words Chan might have thought about saying. The sharp look in Hyunjin’s eyes kept Chan’s mouth shut though. Hyunjin stayed quiet for a singular moment as if he was trying to form the words in his head first which was unlike him. Hyunjin had a knack for speaking before thinking and he often stumbled over his words because of it, “I-I know I can be flirty with you and I know we were lovers back before… everything, but that was… Hyung, Jisung is my _soulmate_ ,” and that’s when Hyunjin broke down into tears and Chan pulled him into a hug.

 

Soulmates were big in the supernatural world. You never called someone your soulmate unless you were absolutely sure, “And you’ve confirmed this?”

 

Hyunjin shakily nodded, “Went to a fate weaver a while ago. She said we were,”

 

“And what of Woojin?”

 

Hyunjin pulled away from Chan, now playing with the collar of Chan’s shirt shyly and a fond smile spreading across his lips, “The fate weaver seemed confused for a moment when I asked if Jisung was my soulmate. She had to ask which one that was…” Hyunjin giggled for a moment, “We haven’t confirmed it yet, we’re not ready. This is pretty recent and we don’t want to freak him out, you know? But… I can feel it in my gut, hyung,” Chan would never stop loving Hyunjin’s passion for the people around him. Sure, he had long since fallen out of love with the human, but he’d constantly hang onto the one thing that made Hyunjin still human. “He’s ours. I just hope he sticks around long enough for us all to find out…”

 

“I don’t plan on going anywhere,” A new voice chimed out softly from behind them, Chan turning to see Woojin coming in from outside, soaked and a towel around his neck. Chan had to admit that Woojin was handsome, and he couldn’t blame Jisung and Hyunjin for finding a home within him. “Jinnie, you and Jisung need to sit down and talk, because I’m pretty sure he loves you as much as you love him,” It looked as if Hyunjin wanted to scream out that he loved Woojin too, but he kept his mouth shut and nails dug into his palm.

 

“I’m glad someone in all of this is level-headed. Of course, my two most sensitive lifelong partners just had to be soulmates, hm?” Chan chuckled lowly, lifting himself up from the floor so Hyunjin could stand up and cuddle under Woojin’s waiting arm. Woojin laughed quietly when Hyunjin began to pepper kisses along the scales on Woojin’s neck. “Call Jisung okay? Figure all of this out while I go initiate the new family member,” and Chan was gone, out the door and down the basement stairs. It was far too dark for any other human to see, but Chan could see just fine, could see the body whimpering and shivering in the corner tied up in a gruesome angle that almost guaranteed a few limbs to be popped out of place or at the very least aching unbearably. On the other side of the room was their new friend, awake and thrashing against the handcuffs and ropes tying him to a pole as he tried to get to the human on the other side of the room, “Hello, Felix,”

 

Large, blood red eyes snapped up to meet Chan’s pure golden ones and Chan grinned to himself at the sight. It had been a very long time since he had gotten to see those fresh, hungry eyes and Chan was ready to add another member to their little family. Though, Felix didn’t seem as pleased, growling and pulling at a much faster rate like some sort of rabid dog. “You’re very hungry aren’t you? Don’t worry, love, we wouldn’t leave you high and dry like that,” Chan was used to this, so it was nothing new and therefore not concerning at the time. So, he swiveled on his feet and approached the whimpering human with a sickeningly evil grin spread over his lips. Chan squatted down so he was eye level with the shivering, terrified man and Chan hummed in pleasure at the heart beating so fast and hard he was surely going to pass out any moment. “Slow your heart, Mr. Yang, or else I’ll rip it out of your chest and feed it to you,” Chan’s voice was as cold as the hand clasping Mr. Yang’s jaw as tightly as possible without dislocating it.

 

Chan was more than satisfied when the human tried his best to stabilize his breathing so his heart would stop beating so harshly

 

However, he didn’t outwardly show it, not by a long shot, because he grabbed the human by the neck, dragging him towards the chained animal in the middle of the room and placed him so he was on his knees in front of Felix’s stood but hunched over form. “Felix…” Chan uttered softly, reaching over to the pole behind him where a light switch just happened to be and flicked it on. Both Felix and Mr. Yang hissed at the illuminating light casting down on the three of them, and Chan called out to Felix again. When the newborn vampire flickered his eyes up, they were dulling in color and it looked like the human part of him was fighting the darkness forming inside his chest. Chan kneeled down so he was peering up at Felix with an almost… _paternal_ glint in his eyes, “Come on, love. Don’t fight this. It’s not meant to be fought. _You wanted this,_ ” The last part came out as a hiss but that wasn’t why Felix’s bottom lip wobbled and tears formed in the depths of his wide, small pupiled eyes.

 

“J….Jeon….Jeongin,” Felix gurgled, eyes flickering to the man behind Chan and fighting against his cuffs a bit more.

 

“There it is,” Chan laughed darkly, “Love, Jeongin wants this. He wants his father to be the meal that truly makes you one of us,” Chan convinced, but Felix was still unsettled, unsure, _doubtful_.

 

“I’m a monster…”

 

“We’re all monsters inside, Love,”

 

That seemed to be Felix’s breaking point, eyes turning so bright they almost burned holes into the cement walls around them and his wrists no doubt hurting from where the cuffs were digging harshly into the skin. But then, it didn’t matter, because the cuffs broke with a clank and Felix was _free_. Much to Chan’s displeasure, he didn’t even get to see the initial attack as Felix had moved so quickly, but he heard a scream before the human went completely quiet. Much like Chan had done to the poor soul the night he turned Felix and helped Jeongin, Mr. Yang was devoured by Felix, nothing left except for a blood stain and bloodied bones, “Now, don’t go leaving a mess. Clean up,” Chan scowled at Felix’s heavily panting form, the vampire hunched over and staring at the mess he created with pale cheeks and wide eyes. Felix only began to furiously shake his head and blubber out words Chan couldn’t understand.

 

Chan wasn’t sure what to do, he wasn’t good with this stuff, but it seemed Hyunjin had heard Felix’s loud cries as the basement door swung open and his tall form came racing down the stairs. At first, when Hyunjin kneeled down to cradle the younger in his arms, Felix attempted to fight him but Hyunjin had always been good at calming others down and soon Felix sank into Hyunjin’s warm embrace and honied words. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Nothing wrong with you I promise. It’s okay. Do you want to see jeongin? Would that make you feel better?” Felix shook his head into the taller’s shoulder, blubbering about how he didn’t want Felix to see him like this, and Hyunjin cooed, “Sure, honey. That’s fine,” and Chan slowly crept up the steps as per Hyunjin’s waving of him off.

 

The scene upstairs was equally soft, and Chan felt like he was going to hurl at any moment if he had to witness one more soft scene between anybody that used to be nearly as cruel as he was. Jisung was sitting atop a kitchen counter, Woojin between his legs and rubbing his palms up and down the flesh of Jisung’s thighs. They were talking in hushed whispers, occasionally accompanied by a giggle and the sweetest kiss. “I trust everything has been worked out?” Chan made his presence known, the two not jumping apart but letting their attention drift to him. Jisung smiled and nodded softly.

 

“There are still some things to talk about but for now we’re going to just head off to bed and sleep off anything negative,” Jisung explained, running his hands up Woojin’s chest and peppering a kiss to his jaw. Chan hummed in acknowledgment.

  
“I’ll be heading off then. Goodnight,” Chan whispered before escaping up the stairs, stripping himself of his clothes, and climbing into the warm bed Jisung had so graciously provided him. Chan fell asleep that night dreaming of a better life, a prosperous one where he had more power than anyone, even Minho, and he could have anything he wanted within a snap of his fingers. One day, he would have a prosperous life, but not exactly like that.

  
  


**574 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

Seungmin wished he had been seeing things. He prayed to the heavens above that what he had witnessed at the end of the alley he was walking down wasn’t real and Seungmin was still in bed, asleep, or at work still at the very least. But no. It was real, the bruises and aches along his skin from the abuse of his long fingers proved it to him. Seungmin had just gone into work for the night, being a bartender at the club nearby and filled to the brim with sketchy people that probably didn’t live too far from Seungmin. He’s probably seen them once or twice too, just doesn’t really bother to search for a face match in his brain.

 

They had sent him home early that night after a customer got too rowdy and tried to put his hands on the poor male, and no matter how much Seungmin insisted that it was fine and that he really needed the hours to work, his boss threatened to fire him if he didn’t live right then and there. So, Seungmin left with bruises along his wrist, alcohol staining his clothes, and brain a jumbled mess. Seungmin figured he could take a short way home, he had his Glock with him so it wasn’t as if he was entirely helpless going down those dark alleys alone, it just wasn’t exactly ideal. Seungmin would only realize that afterward though, so caught up in his brain to notice the scene in front of him.

 

Just up ahead, there was a familiar figure pressing another figure up against the wall. At first, Seungmin just assumed it was just some idiots having really gross sex in an equally as dark alleyway, but when a whimper came out of the taller figure’s mouth that hadn’t been out of pleasure, Seungmin froze. A rapist maybe? But then the shorter figure pulled away, mouth bloody, teeth sharp and masked by - holy shit, that’s Chan. “What the fuck?” Seungmin exclaimed in horror, gathering the attention of the shorter male quickly and as soon as Chan’s alert eyes met Seungmin’s mortified ones, chaos erupted. “Don’t come near me!” Seungmin warned, backing away when Chan tried to step forward.

 

“Seungmin…” Chan trailed off wearily, hands up in surrender but that was about the only innocent thing about him. Chan’s eyes were a pure gold color, mouth covered in blood and once sickly pale skin gaining a bit of color to them. Chan looked powerful, almost as if death clouded around his fingertips in electrifying shocks and crackles. “There’s no need to do anything rash, hm?” Chan murmured, taking another step forward and Seungmin taking another step back. “Come on now, darling. I’m not going to hurt you,” Chan promised but was Seungmin going to believe it? Hell no.

 

“What even are you? A vampire?” Seungmin whimpered out, lips pouted and his wide doe eyes blown wider than they already are naturally and Chan’s chest twisted. Chan gulped, slowly nodding as he licked the blood off of his teeth underneath the safety of his lips. “Fuck… Fuck, fuck, fuck, I let a monster walk me home, I kissed a monster on the cheek, I invited a monster into my home -” Seungmin cut himself off as sharply as his gaze had turned, hand traveling to the Glock buried in the waistband of his pants, “You’re a fucking monster, Bang Chan,” Seungmin snapped, walking backward until he hit the main street again before swiveling and darting down the street towards his house with swarming thoughts and the scene of Chan sucking the life out of a poor man’s body followed by one of Chan with a face of pure and utter hurt in his eyes after Seungmin called him a monster.

 

Chan had been called a monster his entire life, in fact, he used to take great pleasure in the terror that oozed from a person’s body when they realized who Chan was and what he was capable of. Even now, hearing someone call him a monster didn’t make him flinch by a long shot, but hearing Seungmin say it… Chan hated it. Chan didn’t want to be a monster, not in Seungmin’s eyes at least, and it killed him because he didn’t want this. Didn’t want the infatuation or the warmth in his stomach. Chan wanted the cold cruelty back. It was all he knew and now he was stepping onto foreign grounds.

 

Very foreign, and very dangerous grounds.

  


Seungmin couldn’t stop running. His legs were burning and his lungs matched that fiery ache on every single level, but he couldn’t stop. Not until he was safe inside his home and away from Chan and everything that came with him. Seungmin barely had time to think and process before it all came crashing down. It seemed that he wasn’t even safe to think alone inside his own home as when he walked through the door, Minho was lounging on his couch watching TV like he fucking lived here, “Oh hey, Seungmin,” Minho greeted without even looking up, but pouted like a child when he received nothing but silence. “Not greeting your hyung is rude you know?” Minho whined loudly, but Seungmin drowned him out as he kept looking out all the windows to make sure that monster hadn’t followed him home. Fuck.

 

Chan knows where he lives.

 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, I’m going to have to find a new place to live, change my name - Maybe I can go live in the states for a while, marry a nice girl and -”

 

“Seungmin, you’re gay,” Minho’s voice startled him out of his thoughts, so much so, Seungmin’s Glock slipped out of his pants and hit the ground with a clang. The two stared at it for a moment, Minho with slight more horror than Seungmin and it only increased when the younger reached down to pick it up and hide it back within his pants, “What the fuck, Seungmin? Did you kill someone?” Minho inquired, a hiss rolling off his tongue and Seungmin scowling deeply.

 

“No! I didn’t kill anyone!”

 

“Well, you’re talking about moving to a whole new country, changing your name, and you’re carrying your gun around! So yeah, excuse me for eliminating possibilities!” Minho snapped back and Seungmin felt like he was going to tear his hair out. “Now tell me what’s going on,” Minho demanded, shoving Seungmin towards the couch and forcing him to sit down. Seungmin looked as if he was going to pass out any second, and Minho softened up a little bit, rubbing his palms along Seungmin’s shoulders and kissing the side of his head in hopes of comforting him. Sometimes, no matter how tough he came across, Seungmin just needed to be babied. “Come on, Hyung won’t freak out.”

 

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Seungmin muttered bitterly, and Minho’s eyes literally _sparkled_.

 

“Try me,” Minho challenged, grip tightening around Seungmin’s shoulder as a sign of his unending loyalty and faith in the younger. Minho would always be there, Seungmin knew it too.

 

“I-I was coming home from work, and I thought I could take the short route home… But when I went down the alleyway -” Seungmin stopped for a moment staring down into his lap and playing with his thumbnails, “I saw Chan… draining a man of his blood and he- his eyes were gold and I confronted him -”

 

“You confronted him?” Minho screeched suddenly, causing Seungmin to flinch harshly at the sharpness of it. “Seungmin you fucking idiot!”

 

“I didn’t know what to do, hyung! I wasn’t about to run and not have my fucking answers!” Seungmin retorted with a huff, not fighting it when Minho pulled him into a tight hug, “He said he was a vampire, hyung…” Seungmin whispered, but felt his stomach drop when Minho slowly pulled away to study him carefully, “Why aren’t you surprised?” Seungmin inquired coldly, pulling away from his Hyung’s arms completely. Minho didn’t answer right away, just watching Seungmin with these coy, terrifying eyes and when a flash of purple crossed Seungmin’s irises, Seungmin froze. “You… You’re one of them -”

 

“Seungmin, calm down -”

 

“You kept it from me. You’re one of them.”

 

“Seungmin...”

 

“You’re a monster just like the rest of them!”

 

“Kim Seungmin!” Minho’s whole voice shook the house, and Seungmin cowered in both shock and fear. The lights that had dimmed momentarily went back to normal and Minho softened when he saw how terrified Seungmin was, “I understand you are scared and frightened, but I am simply a witch. I am not a monster, nor am I going to hurt you. I wouldn’t be constantly protecting you if I was going to,” Minho practically pleaded at that point, just wanting Seungmin to believe that he was no threat to him. But Seungmin stared at him with these cold, _cold_ eyes and Minho felt like the air had been knocked out of his lungs.

 

“We’re all monsters inside, hyung. Yours just aren’t as awful as others,” Seungmin claimed with pure and utter confidence but an incredibly low tone. Minho’s bottom lip was tucked away between his teeth now, “Is Changbin one of you?” Seungmin prayed and prayed and prayed that he hadn’t been surrounded by them his whole life but when Minho’s eyes downcasted to the floor in guilt, Seungmin scoffed.

 

“Vampire. Along with Hyunjin and Jisung as well,” and Seungmin felt like he was going to be sick.

 

“Hyung, please leave,”

 

“Seungmin -”

 

“Hyung, please. I just need to be alone for a while,” Seungmin dodged Minho’s farewell hug with his shoulder, eyes watering and lips trembling. Minho hushed out a quiet goodbye before leaving and as soon as the door shut, Seungmin collapsed to his knees. How could he have been so blind to who was around him? To the city, he lived in? Chan was someone who Seungmin had come infatuated with but tonight he had to witness Chan murder someone in cold blood for his own thirst. Minho… Minho almost tore down his damn house when he got angry. And now there was no hard telling what Changbin, Hyunjin, and Jisung were capable of. Seungmin had been surrounded by people who had claimed to love him but lied to him for years, and Seungmin had never felt more alone than at that moment.

  
  


**539 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

The family home was peaceful, for the most part anyway. Chan hadn’t gotten much sleep from the day before so he was far too exhausted to be regularly snippy and aggressive like he normally was, and while it was weird it was very much appreciated. Hyunjin felt like he could drink his coffee in peace that morning without being ridiculed for everything that he did. Though it was pretty damn obvious Chan wasn’t okay, and as much as Hyunjin wanted to reach over and check if he was okay, Jisung beat him to it. The younger fame stumbling into the kitchen, attaching himself to the back of the nearest person he could, which just so happened to be Chan, and bury his face into their neck, “Hyung~” Jisung whined out with no obvious intention in mind. He just felt like complaining.

 

“What is it, Jisung?” Chan huffed around the straw buried in the plastic bag of blood, though he didn’t sound all too irritated, just irrationally exhausted. Jisung grumbled something into the skin of Chan’s lower neck but neither Chan or Hyunjin could understand what he was saying. “Speak up, not even the gods can hear you,” Chan snapped, and Hyunjin’s tense shoulders relaxed because there was his Hyung. Jisung unburied his face from Chan’s neck, resting his chin on the elder’s shoulder and pouting his lips cutely.

 

“I feel like something bad is going to happen…” Jisung murmured and that’s when Chan tensed completely. Even as a human, Jisung had this internal instinct that screamed when things were about to go down. He says the worst it’s ever been was right before Chan forcefully turned him that night, and they knew more than well enough that his instinct was accurate as all hell. So, Chan whirled around go face Jisung with absolute and utter _worry_. “I don’t think it’ll be too bad, but…” Jisung quickly interjected, fiddling with the hem of his shirt, “Something will happen,” Chan slowly nodded in acknowledgment, getting up and out of his chair with the younger backing away with a tiny, barely heard whimper. Hyunjin peeked up at that, suddenly curious and interested as he motioned for Jisung to come closer. Jisung was quick to waddle over and slip himself between Hyunjin’s legs as the raven-haired vampire peered up at him with slight worry and his hands on the back of his thighs.

 

Chan, while he was content his family was so happy amongst themselves, did not find pleasure in watching them be so soft with one another so looked for a quick escape, “I’m going to go feed the beast. Try and get your mushy stuff out of the way while I’m not here will you?” Chan sneered in exhaustion, but Jisung just stuck his tongue out at Chan childishly before Hyunjin pulled him into a dramatic heated kiss prompting Jisung to yelp loudly. With a roll of his eyes, Chan was walking down the stairs into the basement of the house, “Evening, Felix,” Chan called out, knowing Felix was somewhere in the shadows where he didn’t want to be seen by anyone. It wasn’t uncommon for vampires, but Chan doesn’t ever remember anyone taking this long to come to the first step of acceptance.

 

“Hello, hyung,” Felix croaked from the back of the room, watching Chan’s every move as he searched for the key to the door that leads into the room next door with all the live feedings for Felix.

 

“You coming out today?”

 

“Not today, hyung,”

 

“Ok, love,” and that was the end. Chan unlocked the door to the other room and waltzed inside like there weren’t four humans all tied up with gags in their mouths and passed out from fear. All except one of course. The moment Chan’s eyes locked with the women’s in the corner, he grinned from ear to ear. She was a pixie, a creature that had been causing him far more trouble than he was willing to put up with and it was about time she faced her fate. Chan hauled her over his shoulder and into the basement, letting her slip onto the ground so she was lying on her back like a cockroach. “Felix, love, come out and let me see you,” Chan demanded, pressing a foot flat against the pixie’s chest to keep her down and eyeing the bright red eyes in the corner. Eventually though, Felix left the dark of the basement and stood around the edges of where the light of the lamp directly hit in the middle of the room.

 

Chan observed the younger new blood for a moment, seemingly proud and impressed of the state he was in. Felix, while taking forever to accept who he was, had grown at a rapid rate, far faster than Hyunjin or Jisung had ever grown and while it was intimidating, something told Chan that this new blood wouldn’t be cruel to the world at hand, “She… she smells different, hyung,” Felix croaked with his deep voice and a malicious but still somehow paternal smile spread over the pink of Chan’s lips.

 

“This is a pixie, love.”

 

“I’m not sure I can take a full human today, hyung,” Felix murmured shyly, standing with a demeanor that oozed fear and shyness. Chan hummed in acknowledgment. He was beginning to wonder when Felix’s hunger would be satisfied.

 

“That’s alright. Pixie’s have rather rich blood, to begin with. It’s hard to have a lot at one time,” Chan reassured and Felix’s shoulders relaxed immediately. He thought that if he didn’t fully take what Chan was giving him, then there would be consequences. “Just drink some. Once you get a taste you won’t be able to resist it… Though, that’s more of a fairy thing,” Felix looked like he wanted to ask a question but refrained, “Come on then, what’s got you so bothered?”

 

“Will I ever taste a fairy?”

 

“Maybe… but I won’t feed you one,”

 

“Why’s that?” Chan wasn’t sure if he could tell him. That was Jeongin’s to tell.

 

“Because then you will become bratty and that’s all you’ll want, love. Now drink up,” Chan grinned, kicking the pixie with the ball of his foot to roll her over towards Felix so she was resting at his feet. “And drink slowly. You need to learn to savor what’s given to you. You have no idea what can be taken from you so easily,” Chan hushed and Felix eyed him wearily. He had no idea what Chan’s past was like, even who he was, but he could gather enough that Chan had been around for a long time. “Go ahead, I’ll be going-” Suddenly, screams erupted from above them and Chan froze. “Stay here,”

 

Chan’s footsteps were quick but quiet, his head just barely peering through the door and sucking in a harsh breath when the screaming halted for a moment. Chan shut his eyes for a moment, feeling his soul begin to expand and fade out into nothing but tiny particles and now Chan was moving at immense speed, everything around him slow but muscles tight and pulsing at a concerning rate. Chan got a blink of the situation around him before he was thrown back into the real world and real time. Jisung was on the ground, holding his nose where an ice spike was stiking out between his fingers, and Hyunjin had burns up and down both of his arms, and Woojin was pinned down to the ground by Changbin behind a very angry, and panting Minho. Their eyes locked, gold met purple and no, it didn’t make a beautiful mix. It created chaos.

 

“ _You_ ,” Minho hissed, charging forward and Chan prepared himself for a magic-filled punch but was only met with hot hands slamming against his chest and sending him flying backward, “I tried to be nice for the sake of Seungmin! I tried to convince myself that you wouldn’t be _stupid_ enough to spill all of this to him, but of course, you just had to be sloppy! You just had to be there that night and tell him everything about the world he was never supposed to know about!” Minho angrily kept shoving against Chan’s chest, but the shoving soon turned into weak punches and his angry pants turned to desperate cries, “he wasn’t supposed to know! I was supposed to tell him, you dumb stupid fucking idiot!” That was what was repeated over and over again, occasionally another intense insult flying through every now and then, but Minho beat against Chan’s chest until he was weak, and Chan took every hit that he deserved.

 

By the time Minho was too weak to throw punches, he fisted the fabric around Chan’s collar tightly and buried his head into his shoulder. Minho didn’t know why he was holding him, why he wasn’t skinning Chan alive at that moment, but he didn’t question it. He wasn’t sure he could. “I know… Fuck, I didn’t want him to know either. I wanted him to think I was normal and -” Chan choked on his words for a second, sounding calm to outside vampire ears but to Woojin and Minho, they could see the emotion swirling in his eyes. “Seungmin called me a monster and I hated it,” Chan admitted quietly into Minho’s ear and Minho dug his nails into Chan’s lower neck before roughly pulling away with a growl.

 

“You’re going to fix this, Bang Chan! You’re going to prove to him that we’re not monsters!”

 

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?”

 

“Figure it out, because if you don’t within the next month, I’ll make sure you’re dead,” And Chan knew that wasn’t an empty threat. He knew that was real. With one last, final shove to Chan’s chest, Minho was pointing a finger in his face, “Fix it,” and then he was walking out the door after snapping his fingers at Changbin, and they all had to watch their former brother walk out the door like they meant nothing to them and Hyunjin… Hyunjin burst into tears the minute the door closed. They were well aware they never treated Changbin right, and they regretted it with every fiber of their beings. Hyunjin missed having someone he could rant to about anything. Jisung missed having someone who helped him dress and care for Hyunjin in a way that made him feel safe, and Chan… Chan missed Changbin’s smile.

 

There were… _rumors_ that Chan had felt for Changbin in a way opposite of anyone else, even Hyunjin, but they were just that. Rumors. At least as far as Chan was aware. Now, he could probably admit that his heart skipped a beat when Changbin smiled, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it was with Seungmin. The minute that man even appeared in his brain, Chan’s chest would tighten, he’d get light headed, and a giddy excitement settled in his stomach. It was… scary to say the least. “Baby, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Woojin tried to reassure Hyunjin, cradling his crying, trembling form in his lap as Jisung latched onto Hyunjin’s back, but Hyunjin furiously shook his head.

 

“N-No it’s not!” Hyunjin wailed loudly and Chan’s eyes squeezed shut. Fuck, this was all his fault. All of this. Changbin leaving, Seungmin refusal to have anything to do with Minho or the others, Felix’s unhappiness, his whole family falling apart… It was his fault, and he had to fix it. Chan slowly approached the three huddled on the floor with Hyunjin sobbing between them and curled his hand around the middle of Jisung’s back to drag him back a bit. This not only grabbed Jisung’s attention but Hyunjin’s attention as well which ultimately lead to Woojin’s focus on him as well. “H-Hyung?” Hyunjin sniffled when Chan pressed a firm kiss to the back of his head and carried Jisung away.

 

“Don’t worry, prince, okay? I’m so sorry, and I’m going to try my best to fix this,” Chan called out, holding Jisung’s curled up body close to his chest and trying his best to not let the emotions swirling inside his stomach get the best of him. Chan walked Jisung up to the bathroom, eyeing the ice spike stabbed through Jisung’s nose and nibbling on his lower lip trying to figure out how he was going to fix this considering he didn’t have anything on him, “I supposed you don’t have any ways I can heal you?” Chan murmured and Jisung thought for a moment.

 

“Woojin keeps some of that deep seaweed in his room. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you stole some to heal my eye,” Jisung murmured to himself in thought and Chan felt relief flood his chest. Sure, Seaweed wasn’t the thing Chan was hoping for, but it would work just fine. So, Chan sat Jisung on the edge of his bathroom sink before escaping into Woojin’s bedroom, digging through his drawers until he found a large, rectangular foil packet and carried it back into the bathroom. While Chan gathered what he could from outside to make mud, Jisung began to rip open the seaweed packet and lay them out one by one before swinging his legs like a small child waiting for his father to pick him up from daycare.

 

Soon enough, Chan came back in with a mortar bowl filled with the items he needed and rested it on the table before mashing it all up. Chan had done this so many times it was unreal, having learned this back in his first 100 years of living, and he felt nostalgic. That was a time before his cruelty had gotten the better of him, and now it felt like he was reliving those times. “This is going to hurt,” Chan warned, fingers grazing over the spike sticking out of Jisung’s face, and the younger sighed loudly in earnest.

 

“Hyung, I’ve literally lost a limb before. Just do it already,” And without warning, Chan pulled it out with so much strength, it practically melted on the spot. Jisung winced, holding his hand over his nose, but Chan needed to retrieve it first so pulled it away. Jisung began to whimper and whine when Chan’s fingers went digging in his face to pull out his half attached nose, gagging at the sight he could barely even see. With careful, nimble hands, Chan held the nose in place where it was supposed to be, took the mud-coated seaweed and placed it over the entirety of the half attached body part. The next part was always gross for Jisung whenever he had to do it to himself, but whenever Chan did it, it was heaven on earth. Chan began to place gentle kisses all around the edges of the seaweed while whispering greek words and wiping away the blood all around the wound. When Chan cared, he was tentative and kind.

 

“There, Jisung,” Chan murmured, ready to yell out to Woojin to bring Hyunjin up, but Jisung reached out and curled his fingers around his Hyung’s wrist.

 

“Can I ask you something?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Seungmin…” Chan tensed up, “You have feelings for him no?” Jisung wondered allowed, fingers dancing along Chan’s collarbone and the elder had to bite his tongue to keep himself from saying anything he’d possibly regret. “It’s okay if you do, you know? We’re not going to treat you any different for loving a human, much less loving at all. In fact, we’re happy you’re cold dead heart has had an awakening -”

 

“Enough, Jisung,”

 

“Hyung -”

 

“Woojin-ah! Bring up Hyunjin!” Chan called out in exhaustion, sighing in relief when he heard footsteps, and Woojin appeared in the doorway with a tear-stained Hyunjin in his arms. Hyunjin and Jisung soon swapped places, Chan trying his best to ignore the glares Jisung was throwing his way as he tended to Hyunjin’s wounds. Hyunjin had burns up and down both his arms and he looked smaller than he actually was. “I’m sorry, prince. For everything,” Chan hushed as he wrapped the seaweed carefully around Hyunjin’s hands, fingers, and forearms. Hyunjin made a noise of disapproval, shaking his head furiously and pulling Chan close by the hem of his shirt.

 

“Why are you sorry? You’ve done nothing wrong.”

 

“But before Minho -”

 

“The time before you were asleep doesn’t matter to us anymore. It’s clear you’ve grown with the world as well. It’s time you started accepting it too,” And all Chan could do was reward Hyunjin with small kisses along his arms and soft greek words of revival and protection. Hyunjin would always be his prince, but Seungmin…

 

Fuck.

 

“Go fix what you have to, hyung, just remember you have a whole family waiting at home for you to fall back on,” And Chan was grateful because, after so many years of being alone, he didn’t feel like it anymore.

  
  


**501 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

Seungmin hated this. He hated the schedule his stubbornness has brought him. Now, Seungmin is working four different jobs, and he barely has time for sleep anymore. It was kind of a miracle he hadn’t collapsed from exhaustion yet, but Seungmin was still trucking through with his hour naps in between shifts and endless cups of coffee that made him slightly less exhausted. Though it seemed the zombie feeling in his bones lingered far more than Seungmin was willing to put up with, and his irritation had skyrocketed towards the moon looming over him. So, it really wasn’t that surprising that he ended up screaming in Chan’s face when he realized the vampire was at his house. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Seungmin hissed from the edge of the walkway, burning holes into Chan’s form sat on the steps that lead up to Seungmin’s door.

 

Chan’s gaze snapped up from the wood he was skimming his fingers across toward Seungmin’s tense, obviously pissed off figure and scrambled up from his position, “I-I wanted to speak with you…” Chan trailed off nervously, playing with the ends of his hoodie sleeves and flickering his eyes away when he saw the pure and utter _hatred_ in Seungmin’s eyes. The idea of Seungmin hating Chan with every fiber of his being made the vampire completely unsettled and suddenly, he really wished he hadn’t woken up at all. Maybe none of this bullshit would have ever happened. Seungmin never said anything, almost as if he was waiting for Chan to say something more, “But I see you don’t wish to…” Chan trailed off stepping off to the side so Seungmin could pass him.

 

“It’s best you left, Chan,” Seungmin uttered coldly, but Chan shook his head and played with the hem of his shirt, “If you don’t leave, I’ll call the cops,” Seungmin threatened, hands trailing to the gun in his back pocket and chewing on his lower lip. That was when Chan got enough nerve to observe Seungmin, to lift his eyes from the ground and glance over his stance, his eyes, and his expression. His words were empty, Chan knew that by the way he nibbled on his lower lip and refused to meet Chan’s eyes. It was… comforting, but Chan felt like no progress was being made here. Though, he knew better than anyone that he had to be patient.

 

“No you won’t,” Chan simpered, and Seungmin felt like slapping the tiny little grin right off his face, but simply dug his nails into his palm to keep himself from doing so. Seungmin had to remind himself who Chan was; this man was not the soft, slightly more odd person Seungmin’s heart skipped a beat for anymore. This was a vampire, a very dangerous creature that Minho insisted was deadly and wanted nothing more than to hurt people. Though Seungmin wasn’t sure why he was taking Minho’s word for it when the witch had done nothing but lie to him during all the years he’s known him, “Seungmin -”

 

“Don’t say my name,” Seungmin snapped, and it hadn’t been purely because it provided him fear to know a monster knew his name, much less uttered it. “In fact, don’t even talk to me. Just leave, Chan. Especially before you decide I’m a perfectly good meal,” Seungmin kept going, ignoring the way the vampire flinched at his words and went limp like a defeated ragdoll when he purposefully shoved his shoulder into the elder’s as he walked past him. Chan swiveled on his feet to watch Seungmin walk up the stairs, walking after him in hopes of catching him last minute but it didn’t work out how he wanted it to.

 

“I’m not going to hurt you!” Chan called out in mild desperation, but all he received was a door slamming in his face along with new, reinforced locks. Chan wouldn’t let himself be vulnerable, shoving down the twitching of his eye and the wobbling of his lower lip as he stood there for a moment just to process everything he needed to. Seungmin was still as beautiful as Chan remembered and seeing him angry and fearful was a sight Chan never wanted to see again. However, he was stubborn, and he wanted nothing more than for it to go away and Chan to be the reason he smiles again. He wanted to be the cause of that laugh, and now this was no longer a matter of being put down permanently or not. This was a much deeper, personal matter and it was quite obvious when Seungmin glanced out the window to see Chan sink to the porch floor by the door and tug his knees up to his chest.

 

This would be a long night for the both of them.

  
  


**486 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

It was cold the next morning, Seungmin shivering despite having multiple blankets wrapped around him as he trailed back and forth between rooms to get dressed for work. Soon enough, he was ready for the morning crowd at exactly 6 in the morning with a green apron, a black polo shirt, and stained khaki pants that covered the tops of his worn, black converse. Seungmin looked like a sleep deprived mess but that wasn’t too far off from what he was anyway. He doesn’t think he got a wink of sleep last night due to the fact that Chan lingered on his doorway and never actually went home. Seungmin was terrified by Chan, who he was and what he could do. Seungmin had no idea what he would be by the end of the day, much less the end of the month if Chan kept this up. It was only a matter of time before Chan got tired of him and decided to make Seungmin his next meal.

 

It took a lot of willpower for Seungmin to not call into work today so he didn’t have to leave the house, and a part of him cursed himself for not having a back door so he could sneak out. On the contrary, Seungmin was equally as stubborn as Chan, and he wasn’t about to pussy out of this so manned up and headed off to work. And if he looked out the window a few more times to make sure Chan was asleep while mentally preparing himself if Chan decided to wake up, that was entirely his own business. So, he unlocked the four different locks on the door Changbin had installed a few days before Seungmin found out about everything, pulled it open, and whimpered from the cold air that smacked himself in the face. Fuck you, January, it should be criminal to be this cold.  

 

Unfortunately for Seungmin, his whimper was like an alarm clock to Chan’s sensitive ears and the vampire stirred awake in a way that said he was ready to jump into a fight at any moment. Seungmin flinched back into the safety of his own home, trying to be quiet and discreet as he shut the door. Seungmin had no idea that Chan was watching it shut as slowly as possible with a frown on his lips but only a crackle of amusement in the depths of his eyes. Sure, the reason behind his paranoid actions wasn’t exactly positive, but Chan had to admit Seungmin’s futile efforts to remain unnoticed was rather endearing. Chan stayed quiet, not quite trusting his voice and to hopefully ease Seungmin’s sporadically beating heart.

 

Chan’s efforts to calm Seungmin down went to the extent of pretending to go back to sleep when Seungmin stared at him through his kitchen window, and it seemed to work as Seungmin’s heart stopped beating so loud in his ears. The scary part of it all, was that Seungmin’s heart was the loudest heart Chan had ever listened to, even when his ear was pressed to Hyunjin’s chest after a night of free time, it was never that loud. Chan was rather terrified by the fact that he could still hear Seungmin’s heartbeat faintly behind that of Woojin’s and the victims in the basement for Felix’s feedings, but he didn’t ever actually try and fix any of it either. Chan figured that this infatuation would end if it wasn’t meant to be, as Chan would either be dead or held up in his castle that he hadn’t touched since he got out of it.

 

Chan kind of missed it…

  
  
  


**449 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

Finally, Seungmin stopped being such a coward in terms of actually leaving his house and knew that if he didn’t he’d die of starvation or the cold before Chan could even lay a finger on him. This time, Seungmin looked presentable enough to actually show up at his workplace in unstained Khakis and tamed hair, and unlocked his door with confidence dripping from his very being. This time, Seungmin was prepared for the cold rush that would hit him and kept his mouth shut tight so nothing slipped past that would possibly wake Chan. Though he wasn’t confident enough to step out blindly and proceeded to peer around the doorway and down to the ground where Chan’s head was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, and leg curled underneath a stretched out one. He was still wearing the same clothes he had been for the last three days.

 

Though, this time he had something in his hands, and Seungmin eyed them wearily. It was a singular rose, seemingly store-bought, but wilted to the extent where Seungmin wasn’t sure how it wasn’t crumbling underneath Chan’s touch. If Seungmin were to really spend time on it, he could confidently say that when Chan slept, it was the most innocent he ever looked aside from that time Seungmin took off his makeup in the bathroom. There, with the slight curl of his lips and his eyelashes dancing along his pale cheekbones was pure and oh so soft, almost as soft as he was holding the rose that Seungmin wasn’t sure if it was supposed to belong to him or not.

 

But of course, Seungmin didn’t stand around and admire Chan, at least he’d never admit it to himself. Especially not when Chan was a vampire and could probably kill Seungmin with as quick as a snapping of his neck. Seungmin was stuck in the rift of what Chan used to be and what Chan was now, the Chan Seungmin had learned to like and admire in the short time he knew him. Seungmin had no choice but to take that factor into account as well, because what if that was just Chan’s sick trick? What if he was charming Seungmin to drag him into this mess before he kills him? Seungmin’s whole demeanor hardened at the thought and Seungmin was quick to swivel on his feet after locking the door and practically dart down the pathway and down the sidewalk towards his first shift at the coffee shop that didn’t pay nearly enough.

 

Though, even there he couldn’t seem to escape the nightmare that was Chan’s life as, after only an hour of working there, an all too familiar raven-haired man walked in with a mole under his eyes and glossed up puffy lips. Hwang Hyunjin was always a beautiful man with a seemingly beautiful soul, but now that Seungmin knew the truth… he felt betrayed, cautious, and curious all the same. Seungmin wondered if all those times Hyunjin was so kind to him was solely because he wanted to be or if there was something else behind it. Something more malicious… Seungmin shuddered at the thought. Hyunjin walked up to the counter awkwardly, nibbling on his lower lip when he realized the other barista was busy and Seungmin was standing at the counter with no customer he was tending to.

 

It was obvious neither one of them wanted to be in this situation. “Good morning,” Hyunjin coughed out, an awkward smile tugging at his lips while his eyes refused to look at Seungmin for more than a second at a time.

 

“Morning,” Seungmin curtly greeted while punching in Hyunjin’s usual order. “2.39,” Seungmin grumbled, not giving Hyunjin a chance to utter another word before waiting rather impatiently for the vampire to dig out his money. As soon as the money was fumbled into Seungmin’s hands, he punched in the rest of it before slamming Hyunjin’s recipe on the counter and swiveling on his feet to work the machines he knew far too well. Seungmin made it sloppily, but Hyunjin wasn’t complaining, he wanted out of there as soon as possible even if he lingered by the counter for a moment despite having his iced coffee in hand, “What?” Seungmin snapped harshly, voice low as to not draw attention to them. Hyunjin flinched back at the tone.

 

Hyunjin nervously chewed on the tip of his straw as he stammered out a muffled, “Chan-Channie hyung -” Hyunjin cut off his words when Seungmin’s eyes turned colder than the absolute dead and Hyunjin’s bottom lip began to wobble before he stuck the straw between his lips, took a stressful sip, and walked away with a whimper and shake of his head. Sure, Seungmin was slightly regretful because he never enjoyed seeing people upset but this was just… This was more complicated now.

 

Seungmin didn’t even get to go home with a sense of relief as Chan was very much awake, sitting on the steps to his porch once more. Though, when their eyes locked at the wee hours of the morning underneath the harsh moonlight, Seungmin opened his mouth before Chan could even let his lips twitch, “Don’t,” Seungmin spat, storming past him, up the steps, and through the door only to slam it closed. Seungmin tried his best to ignore the way it made both of them flinch harshly and the way Chan’s eyes flickered with hurt but the flower still in his hand remained unharmed from Chan’s soft grip. Chan was still determined, but he wondered if he’d get anywhere anytime soon.

  
  


**413 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**  

 

Grass crunched under every step of Chan’s bare feet, rotting and wilting at the very touch of his skin. Seungmin was still at work, and Chan was stuck pacing around Seungmin’s whole yard around the house. Sure, it was a bit odd that he was pacing Seungmin’s yard at 2 in the morning with no shoes on, but Chan had to admit that he missed the way the dewy grass felt against his toes. It had been a long time since he had the pleasure of doing so… a long, _long_ time.

 

Chan could still remember that time, just after the Koguryo kingdom formed in the north, Chan was born with two other brothers, both slightly older in age. Though, despite their ages, Chan was the strongest out of the three even if he was both the youngest and smallest. Due to their birth into the vampiric gift, they were precious to their world, and their child hood had quickly turned into a competition of who could be the strongest. One minute they were running in the grass in the opium fields laughing and giggling like they had all the time in the world and then Chan was hovering over BamBam’s limp body with a sword in hand, blood on his face, and Yugyeom whimpering on the ground as he hadn’t quite given in yet. Though he really should have considering his body was contorted in ways that they shouldn’t have been.

 

Chan loved his brothers, he did, but he was blinded by the cruelty he was raised to have. The man would do absolutely anything to go back and be with his brothers once more. To lay in the field in nothing but a silk shirt and pants, flowers in his hair as they giggled mindlessly and sparred. At one point or another, Chan was the epitome of Innocence, but then it all went wrong. His innocence and kindness almost got him killed when an old woman who wanted nothing more than to just kill him tricked him into helping her with some of the farming she did daily. Chan had no idea at the time that the woman knew exactly who he was, what he was, and was looking to kill him along with his two brothers.

 

Moreover, the woman had no idea what she was dealing with either. She assumed that since Chan looked the weakest, the runt of the three brothers, that he would be the easiest to kill, but Vampires in their family were almost like scorpions; the smaller the deadlier. She had attempted to bury him alive, suffocate him with a sack at first but had made the grave mistake of assuming that Chan could breathe at all, so resorted to attempting to stab him repeatedly in the head with a dull knife made of copper. If it hadn’t been for Chan’s speed, he probably would have died that day. Chan tried not to think about his past too much, especially before he had become as powerful as he had, but now that was all he could think about as he stared at the dull yellow wall he was bouncing a tennis ball against and a dead scorpion between his deadly fingers.

 

He thought about how he met Jisung and Changbin, how they approached him shyly one night at a mascarade claiming to be just like him and tricking him outside. Though Chan knew better, he could smell how human they were, and turned them that night after breaking them mentally. That had been almost the awakening of his cruelty, bringing back all the anger he had suppressed for hundreds of years after his brothers' deaths. Chan found it ironic that those two had become his most prized companions, his most loyal ones, and Chan began to chew on his bottom lip harshly and beat the ball against the wall a bit harsher.

 

The front door swung open suddenly, slamming against the wall inside so hard it surely made a dent, but Seungmin really, really didn’t give a shit. Chan scrambled up from the swinging bench he was laying on at the end of the porch, the scorpion falling from his fingertips and landing on the floor with a thump and Chan clutching the tennis ball tightly in his palm, “Could you _please_ stop bouncing the ball so hard? I’m trying to sleep,” Seungmin growled out, voice dripping with so much anger and exhaustion, Chan froze at the far too persuasive essence the command gave off. Chan gulped, nodding before laying back down and picking up the dead scorpion from the porch floor. “Is that real?!” Seungmin screeched like a little girl suddenly, prompting Chan to jolt, startled.

 

“No. No! It’s dead!” Chan insisted but Seungmin looked on him with even more horror.

 

“That’s even worse!” Seungmin cried out, backing away towards the door as Chan scrambled up. For a second, Chan had completely forgotten what situation he was stuck in when he approached Seungmin. The only thing he was worried about was making sure Seungmin was calm and okay. “Don’t come near me with that thing! What is wrong with you, man?” Seungmin squealed, jolting backward but he accidentally stumbled over a shoe in the middle of the hallway and fell on his bum. Chan yelped in panic but froze in his spot just right outside the door. Some myths about vampires were true, and the invitation inside was one of them. Seungmin gaped at him from the floor, horror clear in his eyes, but the realization slowly set in and a smug feeling swelled in his chest. “You can’t get in, can you?”  

 

Chan slowly shook his head with a saddened glint in his eyes and Seungmin had to resist the urge to leave the house and comfort him. “I am sorry for scaring you, but scorpions are quite alright when they’re dead, darling,” Chan hushed, bending down to set the dead scorpion gently on the ground in front of the door where Seungmin could easily reach out and grab it if he so chose. Seungmin eyed it with a snarled nose and glared up at Chan with disgusted eyes.

 

“Keep your dead animals to yourself, Chan. I’ll throw you off the lot myself if I wake up to another dead rat on my porch.”

  


**377 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

Seungmin had long since gotten used to Chan’s presence after two weeks of it. So much so, that Seungmin was beyond unsettled when he arrived home one night to find that Chan was nowhere to be seen. One half of Seungmin was hopeful that this was the end of this never-ending nightmare and Seungmin could finally breathe. The other half of Seungmin, the softer more vulnerable side that only Chan could bring out as often as he has over the course of the last three months, found discomfort in not coming home to Chan’s shy smiles and one of his prized gifts that he shyly showed Seungmin with a raise of it and sliding it across the porch if Seungmin was interested in looking at it.

 

Most of the time, it was something old and cheap, something that Chan had probably found in the dirt somewhere and showed Seungmin like the little kid he could be at times. Sure, it was endearing, but Seungmin still found his glinting fangs terrifying and tended to keep his cold, cautious facade up. Seungmin had figured Chan could see through it anyway, but maybe he really didn’t. Maybe he went home thinking he wasn’t getting anywhere with Seungmin and now… Now, Seungmin was conflicted and he had no idea what to do in this situation. Did he go searching for him? Or did Seungmin go inside and collapse in bed to catch the little sleep he would be allowed to?

 

Seungmin met in the middle, waiting by the kitchen window, staring out through the fogged glass and eyeing the sidewalk carefully. Every time he saw a new figure walk past, he both tensed in fear and twitched in excitement. However, Seungmin fell asleep right when Chan had come into view, slumped over uncomfortably and when Chan finally caught sight of him leaning against the window unattractively, and exhaustion clear on his features, he knocked lightly against the glass causing Seungmin to jolt awake with a yelp. The moment Seungmin’s eyes locked with Chan’s concerned ones through the window, the vampire offering him the same small smile and awkward wave, Seungmin trailed up the stairs and collapsed into bed knowing Chan was outside but oblivious to Chan weighing something quite valuable in his hand.

 

It wouldn’t have mattered either way though, because Seungmin came back out onto the porch later that morning with a mug of coffee and sat on the opposite end of the porch in a shitty lawn chair that felt like it was going to break under Seungmin’s weight more easily than Chan was going to break under Seungmin’s intense gaze. Seungmin was too cowardly to ask what he wanted to, but it seemed like Chan had gotten the memo well enough, “I… erm… needed to grab a few things last night. I’m sorry for startling you at the window,” Chan apologized shyly, flickering his eyes downwards and Seungmin took a noisy sip of his coffee as he stared Chan down, “Could you… your staring is intense,” Chan stammered out and Seungmin gave the man some peace.

 

“You got a present for me this morning?” Chan’s eyes lit up at the question, and Seungmin quickly interjected before Chan could get too far, “And please don’t let it be a dead animal. I’m starting to get sad by all the dead animals I’m seeing everywhere,” Seungmin pouted cutely and Chan eyed the human fondly. Seungmin was always so cute when he was sleepy, but Chan would never say that out loud, especially not now when he felt like he was _finally_ making progress.

 

“It’s not, I promise,” Chan reassured before digging into the pocket of his large, black hoodie that reeked of body odor and pulled out something shiny. Chan curled it in his palm, shielding it from sight with his fingers as he shyly admitted, “It’s quite important to me… I hope you like it,” and uncurled his fingers. Seungmin couldn’t really see what it was exactly from his position, but ti was quite obvious that whatever it was, was worth a lot of money. Seungmin got up and out of his chair, approaching Chan to get a better look, and gasped at the shiny gold necklace with a gold adornment with a sapphire in the middle and two pearls attached. It was gorgeous, and Seungmin was almost too scared to touch it.

 

“You didn’t steal this did you?” Seungmin double checked, peering up at Chan skeptically, but the elder just laughed and shook his head no. Seungmin was about to reach out, take the necklace from Chan’s palm, but the vampire shifted his hand quickly so the gold chain was pinched between his thumb and the side of his forefinger so Seungmin had no choice but to grab the gems that dangled down and nowhere near the actual skin of Chan. Seungmin was confused by the sudden shift, if not a bit startled, but didn’t question it. Not until Chan uttered that it would be best for Seungmin to put on the necklace himself. “Help me put it on?” Seungmin questioned, but Chan shook his head politely.

 

“I’m sure it would not be wise for me to touch you, darling,” Chan hushed and Seungmin frowned down at him but put on the necklace himself anyhow. It rested just above the middle of Seungmin’s chest, and Chan grinned to himself. “Almost as beautiful as you,” and Seungmin tried his best to ignore the way his chest felt fuzzy at the compliment and slowly backed away from Chan with light eyes and a slight quirk of his lips. That necklace was Chan’s favorite. It reminded him of the purity and innocence of his past with his brothers, not to mention it had a protection spell on it. Chan wore it all the time before things got bad and he had to move to the more… severe items he owned to ensure his safety. His efforts were futile in the end anyway.

 

“Thank you, Chan. It’s beautiful.”

 

“Of course, darling.”

  
  


**341 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**  

 

Though it was rare, that hadn’t been the last time Seungmin joined Chan on the porch. It’d only be on the mornings Seungmin didn’t have a morning shift anywhere, and that was hard to come by nowadays. But Chan remained content and glad that Seungmin still joined him every now and then. Chan didn’t always have an extravagant gift for Seungmin, but the younger didn’t ever seem to ask about getting anything more expensive like the necklace he wore constantly and took Chan’s gifts with a grain of salt. He kept all of them (not the dead animals though, he gave them all proper burials)  in a bucket by the door and instead of giving the gifts directly anymore, Chan just slipped them into the bucket and waited patiently for Seungmin to go through it and answer all the questions he had about certain items to the best of his ability.

 

Their moments together were still tense, but now they were beginning to soften up considerably and Seungmin was beginning to grow more comfortable around the vampire he was so stubborn about being murdered by not even a month ago. Seungmin couldn’t say he didn’t appreciate Chan by some degree. He hadn’t gotten robbed once in the time Chan had been there, and he knew for a fact that it was because Seungmin now had a giant bird puppy living on his front porch, and Chan couldn’t say he didn’t appreciate Seungmin by some degree because he gave him coffee and occasionally provided a blanket when the night was chilly. They took care of each other in this whole weird arrangement they had, and they… they were content.

 

One particular morning though, the silence was broken, and Chan was the brave soul who had the guts to do so. “Seungmin?” Chan uttered out, the coffee in his hand untouched and steaming. Seungmin hummed in acknowledgment, cocking his head to the side and rocking in the chair Chan had replaced one morning with the one that Chan used to sit in all the time when he read up in his very tall tower that looked over the entire village. “I-I know you still believe I’m the monster, but I want you to understand that Minho… _everyone else_ … they’re not monsters like me,” Chan uttered shyly, gently blowing on his coffee and avoiding eye contact with Seungmin. The human admired Chan for not claiming himself as not a monster, but instead saving everyone else’s asses, and if they were maybe a bit closer at the time… Seungmin would have told Chan that he too wasn’t a monster.

 

“Give me one good reason, Chan,”

 

“Minho saved the world from me. He’s been protecting everything for as long as I’ve known him. Nothing about him is a monster,” Chan laid it on thick, “I was a dangerous man, Seungmin, I still am but I just have more decent morals now, but back then… Minho had to do what he had to do to save the village from falling apart. He’s the reason this town even exists right now…” Chan’s voice was as serious as a preacher was on Easter, and Seungmin felt like all the air had been kicked out of his lungs. Chan had been so childlike and shy over the course of the last few weeks that he had forgotten that Chan had been around for thousands of years and that he was more sophisticated than Seungmin could ever dream of being. “You can treat me like shit for the rest of your life, Kim Seungmin, but Lee Minho does not deserve that same treatment, and Seungmin should have told Chan that night that he didn’t deserve that either.

 

Seungmin should have told Chan he would never treat him that way for that long, that he was beginning to soften up and realize how good Chan was on the inside. That despite everything, despite who he was and what he was, that Seungmin was okay with him. He should have told him that one day they would get to be more than just friends and that one day Chan would get to hold him and touch him the way they both wanted. Seungmin should have confessed, but he didn’t, because Kim Seungmin is a coward.

 

And if Chan had been human, his cowardness would have fucked him over by a million different ways, but Chan wasn’t human and his heart was not easily taken. Chan was as loyal as a dog, and Seungmin needed someone like that considering just how stubborn he could be at times. “So, you want me to speak with him again?” Seungmin inquired carefully, and Chan slowly nodded his head with his chin and chest jutted out.

 

“You are unhappy, Seungmin, and it is not because of your busy schedule and your recent discovery. You miss your friends, the people that were always there for you, the people who protected you until the very ends of the Earth,” Chan claimed confidently, finally taking a sip of his coffee and Seungmin was left to think… for about three seconds, “It’s time, darling, I’m afraid I won’t be around much longer if Minho doesn’t become emotionally stable again,” and if Seungmin didn’t become friends with Minho again, he did it for Chan.

 

“Ok… Ok, alright, I’ll talk to him,” Seungmin reassured and Chan smiled to himself in pure and utter content, “Chan?” Chan looked up from his coffee in curiosity, “Why… Why won’t you let me touch you?” Seungmin inquired carefully, watching Chan’s mug lower from his lips and land in his lap with a slight slosh of coffee inside.

 

“Because you would perish at my very fingertips, darling.”

  
  


**328 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**  

 

Chan had the decency to walk Seungmin to the club Minho owned a few blocks down, keeping a safe and respectable distance away from the human the whole way there. Seungmin felt like this wasn’t supposed to be this way; to him, it felt like they should be holding hands or at least their shoulder’s brushing, but Chan’s words kept echoing in his head and he kept a safe distance away too. The distance was... painful, but they were far too cocky to admit that to themselves, much less to each other. “Should be just ahead,” Chan hushed into the cool air of the night and Seungmin gulped and nodded.

 

He was expecting a supernatural filled bar, something Chan had warned him of but reassured that nothing would happen to him, especially if Minho was there. When they finally reached the purple neon exterior of the club, Chan turned towards Seungmin abruptly and offered him a smile, “Knock on the door six times. It should open,” Chan stepped aside, allowing Seungmin to do the magic knock and the door swung open with much more aggression than it did the first time Chan knocked, “Minho is normally near the back, but if you can’t find him, ask the bartender,” Chan advised and Minho frowned at him.

 

“Are you not coming with?” Seungmin inquired, and Chan slowly shook his head, “Oh… okay, would you mind staying out here?” All Seungmin received in response was a small smile and a nod of Chan’s head before Chan motioned for him to go inside. Seungmin entered with a shaky breath, freezing when a path between the sea of people formed immediately and at the very end was Minho sitting in a booth staring at Seungmin in shock. Minho didn’t even have the chance to call out to him before Seungmin was walking down the parted groups of dancing supernaturals and standing at the very edge of the table, “Hey, hyung…” Seungmin greeted shyly and Minho made a noise resembling a sob and a laugh of relief.

 

“Fuck, it’s so nice to see you again, Seungmin,” Minho hushed, slipping out of the booth to wrap Seungmin up in a firm, loving hug. Seungmin didn’t hesitate to hug back once he realized how much he missed Minho and how much Minho missed him, “So, Chan convinced you, huh?” Minho murmured into Seungmin’s hair with a suggestive tone, but Seungmin remained unbothered by the implication. He wouldn’t deny it if Minho asked, but he wouldn’t go out of his way to tell Minho about his feelings for the ancient, pure-blooded vampire. Seungmin slowly pulled away, nodding his head with a small smile.

 

“Yeah… Help me understand that you were only trying to help people and protect me,” Seungmin reassured and Minho grinned so widely, it freaked Seungmin out to a certain extent. Though Minho’s eyes flickered over Seungmin’s shoulder and the human slowly whirled around to face a shocked Changbin holding two drinks.

 

“Holy shit,” Changbin gasped, and Seungmin grinned at him smugly. He slipped the glasses out of Changbin’s hands to place on the table so he could pull him into a tight hug, “Fuck, fuck you, Kim Seungmin,” Changbin breathed out into Seungmin’s shoulder, clutching the back of Seungmin’s shirt like he was scared Seungmin would perish into thin air. Seungmin laughed brightly and pulled away with a shake of his head.

  
“Hard pass, Hyung,” Seungmin retorted, earning himself a punch to the shoulder that would surely leave a bruise later, but Seungmin didn’t mind. This… this felt like home for Seungmin. This was comfort, this was familiarity, and this was what Seungmin thrived off of. Changbin’s eyes flickered down to Seungmin’s chest, gaze catching on the glint of the sapphire and the smooth surface of the pearls. A gasp escaped his lips as his fingers barely grazed Seungmin’s chest to grab the pendant between his grasp.

 

“Holy shit… this is Chan’s,” Changbin pointed out, studying it with curiosity, “He never let anyone touch this, much less wear it,” Changbin gaped in amazement, and Seungmin was left feeling confused, to say the least. He knew Minho and Chan were enemies, as Chan had let it slip a few days beforehand, but he never once mentioned Changbin in all of this but it seemed as if the elder knew everything about Chan and more.

 

“You talk about him as if you knew him…?” Seungmin trailed off, ending with more of a question than a statement, and Changbin’s smile faltered.

 

“I… I’m not sure what I was expecting,”

 

“Love…” Minho trailed off sadly, but Changbin just shook his head dismissively.

 

“I shouldn’t expect him to talk about me. I left the family. He has no reason to speak about me to people he cares about,” Changbin rationalized and Seungmin was more confused than ever. So, when he voiced his concerns, Changbin gently sat him down in the booth, tugging him into his side and got into an explanation, “Vampire families aren’t actual families, but if they were, then Chan is basically our dad. He turned all of us so therefore, he is our ‘master’ but after a certain time, you don’t tend to follow your master anymore. So I… I left. They didn’t treat me right and I left,” Changbin gnawed on his bottom lip and Seungmin was spiraling into more confusion but on something entirely different.

 

“Is… Is Chan a bad person?” Seungmin flinched when the other two tensed up, fiddling with his thumbs shyly.

 

“He was… yes, he has been a bad person, but I’m not too sure what he is now. I think he’s smitten for you though. I think he’s become a better person because of you,” Changbin hushed, and Seungmin was left with an uneasy feeling in his stomach but his chest fluttering wildly. It was obvious Seungmin had feelings for Chan, “You make that decision on your own, but if you decide to get together with him, then I don’t think either one of us would be angry,” Changbin teased and Seungmin’s cheeks flared up.

 

Maybe it was worth a shot.

  


**253 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

Chan had been growing weaker by the minute. He hadn’ had blood since he drank from the human that night Seungmin caught him, and he could feel his energy deteriorating. He told himself that he wouldn’t drink from another human until he fixed things with Seungmin, and even then it would be blood bags that had been donated to him. But this was taking longer than he had initially realized, and he could feel his body fading with every day that he went without blood.

 

It seemed Seungmin sensed it too, even knew what was wrong as slipped out onto the porch in the middle of the night, about an hour after he had come home, with a blood bag in hand. Chan startled from Seungmin’s sudden appearance alone, but seeing him with a blood bag that Chan knew was the human’s blood? Chan had to dig his nails into his lower palm, “Seungmin…” Chan trailed off wearily, but Seungmin was clearly not taking no for an answer when he shoved the blood bag into the vampire's hand.

 

“You have to drink something, Hyung. Just take it,” Seungmin insisted with a pout that made Chan’s chest tighten and stomach twist. Chan slowly took the blood bag from Seungmin’s hands, shuddering when he realized that it was still warm. For a minute there, Chan just held it to warm up his freezing cold hands and if he felt like maybe he was touching Seungmin’s skin, then that was his own business. “Come on, Hyung. It’s okay, I promise,” Seungmin reassured, thinking Chan was hesitant because he was scared, but realized that wasn’t the case when Chan popped the cap and began to drink diligently. Seungmin gnawed on his lower lip, the muscle having faced harsh abuse already from the last few weeks, when Chan’s eyes rolled into the back of his head at the taste.

 

Chan wanted to so badly sit there and rant to the human about how nice his blood tasted, how sweet and savory it could be, but he knew Seungmin would be uncomfortable by that, and compromised with making small, content noises. Seungmin watched his every move, and any other time Chan would have drank viciously and freely, but he was far shyer then. Perhaps it was because he didn’t want Seungmin to keep thinking he was a monster, to keep thinking that who he was and what he was defined every aspect of himself. When Seungmin was around, Chan was not _the_ Bang Chan, Chan was just Chan, the bird puppy that hung out on his porch that occasionally brought gifts and offered Seungmin cute, small smiles that made the world go round. They had grown attached to one another but they didn’t think it would ever be like this per say.

 

“Do you feel stronger?” Seungmin hushed after a few moments, heart stammering when Chan flickered his eyes up to meet his and Seungmin realized that the irises matched the gold of the necklace around his neck. That night, when everything went to shit, Seungmin had been terrified of those eyes, but now they were beautiful and Seungmin could look at them all day if he wanted to. Chan slowly nodded, “Can I ask you another question?” Chan nodded his head again, “How does my blood taste?” Chan froze at the question, Seungmin watching him carefully as he sat down in the extra chair Chan had brought home one day by the porch swing Chan had claimed as his own. Chan stared the human down, “Sorry if that’s like a dumb question or whatever… Changbin Hyung mentioned that all blood tasted different and I was just curious -“

 

“Addicting.”

 

“What?”

 

“Your blood is addicting,” Chan hushed, fully expecting the way Seungmin tensed up, “its so… the only way to describe it would be a pie. It’s savory like the bread but sweet like the fruits inside. It’s delicious,” Chan’s eyes sparkled when he spoke, continuing on when Seungmin seemed intrigued enough, “I knew that from the beginning though. That night you pricked your finger on my fangs, I got to taste a little bit of it, and I was wondering if I’d ever get to taste it again…” Chan trailed off, a cheeky smile in place on his lips, “and it seems my patience was worth it as I’ve been spoiled with an entire blood bag,” and Seungmin laughed lightly.

 

“Well… there’s more. I have three more bags in the fridge,” Seungmin pointed out and Chan sat up in alarm, “it’s fine, Hyung, I promise. I didn’t pump it all tonight, I’ve just done it over the last week or so. I just appreciate you not killing anyone so I figured this is the least I could do,” Seungmin shrugged shyly, and Chan’s eyes were left glimmering like the starts winking at them from above. If death didn’t linger at Chan’s very fingertips, he probably would have reached out and treated Seungmin like a porcelain doll or a newborn kitten, tender and careful, but he didn’t, for obvious reasons.

 

“You’re something else, darling,” Chan murmured with a quirk if his lips before rolling them around the blood bag to take a bit more, “but it’s time you should go inside, Alright? It’s cold and late, and you need rest,” Seungmin appreciated how soft and kind Chan was with him, body practically melting at his tone, and yeah.

 

Seungmin didn’t think Chan was a bad person. Not at all. At least not anymore.

  
  
  


**198 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

Seungmin had long since fallen asleep when a figure approached the vampire on the porch, Chan looking up in alert when he heard the footsteps against the wood of the stairs. Though, he quickly relaxed when he realized it was just Felix… _wait, holy shit_. “Felix?” Chan questioned, gobsmacked to see the new blood outside, much less here on Seungmin’s porch. The new blood shyly nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “Come here, come here. Let me see you,” It had been nearly two months since Chan had seen Felix, and it was obvious that he had taken kindly to the gift Chan so graciously gave him. Chan curled his fingers around the back of Felix’s knees and tugged him forward so he was between Chan’s legs and Chan got a real good look at him.

 

It was obvious Hyunjin and Jisung didn’t let Felix leave the house without looking presentable. His newly ginger hair was styled, earrings adorned with expensive chains and jewels, lips puffy and glossy, and a nice sweater layered with a thick brown leather jacket, jeans, and boots. He looked nice, well put together, much more put together than he had been originally, and it looked as if Felix enjoyed feeling slightly pampered. “I-I know it’s sudden, hyung, but I…” Felix trailed off, tongue tugged between his teeth as he chewed on it in a way that _must_ have hurt. Chan peered up at him with furrowed eyebrows and pouted lips.

 

“Come on, love, just tell me,” Chan coaxed with a small laugh and Felix flushed before laughing quietly to himself. He shouldn’t be so nervous, but the idea of it all still made his unbeating heart lurch somehow.

 

“I want to go see Jeongin,” Felix hushed, fiddling with his thumbs and Chan’s eyes lit up. He knew that Jeongin was dying to see the elder again according to Woojin every time he happened to run into him when he was out and about trying to find items to gift to Seungmin. “I know it might be a bit late to see him considering it’s been at least a few months, but… I’m not sure I can go much longer without seeing him again,” Felix admitted shyly and Chan couldn’t help but coo. So, Chan rose from his swinging seat to be at eye level with the new blood and pressed his palm flat against his cheek in a paternal way to soothe any doubts. It was times like this that he was glad he already had a family that was technically dead because his fingers weren’t quite so deadly.

 

“It was about time, anyway, love. Come on, I’ll take you,” Chan slipped his hand into his hoodie pocket and guided Felix down the stairs. Though Chan reached the bottom step when the front door creaked open and a very sleepy and confused Seungmin peered outside calling out to him. Chan whirled around, eyes softening to worrying degrees when he saw the sight of Seungmin with his puffy cheeks, ruffled hair, and droopy eyes, “Go back to sleep, darling. I’ll be home soon,” Chan hushed and Seungmin frowned but went inside nonetheless.

 

“Be safe, Hyung,” Seungmin uttered out and Chan grinned softly.

 

“Always, darling,” And then the door was shutting and Felix was snickering and Chan turned to him with a finger pointed in the air and a scary glint in his eyes, “Say a word and I’ll cut your tongue out,” Chan threatened, and Felix resorted to stifling his giggles and failing miserably while he was at it. Soon enough, they were approaching the familiar nightclub and Chan pounded against the door six times before it swung open on its own and they were allowed to enter. Chan hooked a finger in the back belt loop of Felix’s jeans to make sure he didn’t get swept up in the crowd as they approached the back table where Minho, Changbin, and a few others were all laughing and talking. Though Changbin met Chan’s eyes and his small smile widened.

 

“Hey, hyung,” Changbin greeted politely when he slipped out of the booth to approach them and Chan nodded towards him, bowing a bit as well, “Who's this?” Changbin questioned, nodding towards Felix and Chan placed his hand on the small of his back, “Seems like you’re always bringing us new friends everytime you visit,” Changbin looked pretty accomplished with himself when Felix giggled lightly at the poke at Chan.

 

“This is Felix,” and Changbin’s eyes widened in realization.

 

“Holy shit, come with me,” Changbin didn’t really give Felix that much of a choice, to begin with, as he grabbed for the poor new blood’s wrist and dragged him towards the back. “It’s about time your ass showed up. I was about to drag you out of that basement myself,” Changbin snickered before forcing open the door and shoving Felix inside. There, sitting at the vanity in the corner of the room was Jeongin, with vivid opal fairy wings sprung large and proud from his silk shirt covered back. “Innie, Channie hyung brought a surprise for you,” Jeongin whirled around in excitement at not only Changbin’s voice, but the mention of Chan and a surprise, lips pulled into a bright smile and eyes shining. Chan and Felix felt like the air had been sucked out of their lungs at the sight.

 

But then Jeongin registered who was in front of him and a whimper fell from his mouth, “F-Felix?” Felix had only heard Jeongin talk once in his life, and that was a long, long time ago. So, hearing it now sprung tears to Felix’s eyes and before anyone knew it, they were on their feet, barreling towards the other with tears in their eyes. Felix held Jeongin close, despite the younger being taller and much fuller in terms of weight than he had been before. Jeongin was thriving in his body again, and Felix was _proud_.

 

“Fuck, I missed you, angel,” Felix hushed out with his deep voice and Jeongin shuddered at the breath along the shell of his ear before tugging the vampire impossibly closer. Felix was careful with his wings, eyeing them in slight confusion as he only remembered the stubs Jeongin had shown him one night about a year ago before handing him a journal that explained every aspect of Jeongin’s life. That was Felix’s favorite night if he were completely honest because that was the night he was allowed to show Jeongin how much he was worth, that was _their_ night with soft kisses, soft touches, and solid boundaries put in place. “I’m sorry for not visiting you earlier…” Felix trailed off shyly, flushing when Jeongin pulled away to cup his cheeks with his long fingers and stare at him with that beaming smile that vaguely resembled the sun.

 

“It’s okay, hyung. I was told you were still coming to terms with who you were… I just hope you know that you’re not a monster,” Jeongin hushed, pressing their foreheads together and nuzzling their noses. It was a cute, almost innocent sight, but all Chan could see as he gazed at the two was him and Seungmin and god, Chan would do anything to touch Seungmin that way. To hold him close and show him that he meant the absolute most to him. But Chan couldn’t and he hated it. Suddenly, Jeongin pulled away from Felix to look at Chan, darting towards him but Chan dodged him with a yelp, “Hyung?” Jeongin whined, hurt clear in his voice and Chan sighed in guilt.

 

“I’m sorry baby, but no touching for now on, okay?” Chan hated the pout the fairy wore, but he too wished it was different. There was a time that he wished to not touch a single creature that wasn’t like him, that’s why he was like this. Suddenly, a hand curled around Chan’s shoulder in comfort and Chan found himself looking back at Changbin with a defeated glint in his eyes.

 

“It’s okay, hyung. He’s protected from that sort of thing. Minho did it specifically because of you,” Changbin reassured and Chan turned from solemn to gobsmacked.

 

“He can do that?”

 

“Sure. It’s Minho. He can do anything he wants to.”

 

“I mean I’m not saying I disagree with you, but what can I do?” Minho suddenly spoke up from behind them, everyone whirling around to face the witch.

 

“I was telling Chan that you were capable of making Jeongin immune to his touch,” Almost as if on cue, Jeongin’s arms slipped around Chan’s waist from behind, chin resting on his shoulder, and Chan… Yeah, Chan almost cried right then and there but kept it in for the sake of his reputation. Jeongin was just so warm and gentle and fuck, Chan was thinking of Seungmin again. Minho eyed Chan, eyed his stance, his aura, everything, and realized what Chan secretly wanted.

 

“I can… I’ll stop by soon, okay?”

 

And those words felt like they were uttered from god himself.

  
  


**137 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

It was far too cold for Chan to be outside on the porch that evening. Temperatures had dropped to dangerous levels and snow was beginning to fall from the sky above. Chan was shivering, sneezing and coughing, and shit it was fucking cold, but he was far more concerned about the meows he was hearing from under the porch and knocked against the door in worry. It took Seungmin about two minutes to register that Chan was knocking before stumbling down the stairs at lightning speed and throwing the door open, “What happened?! Who died?!” Seungmin breathed out, looking all around him and frowning when he realized there was nothing wrong. There wasn’t any robbers or monsters, so why was Chan looking absolutely mortified at the time?

 

“Shut up for a second,” Chan hissed, and Seungmin snapped his mouth shut before following Chan out onto the porch. They stayed quiet for about a minute, Seungmin ready to ask what the hell he was supposed to be listening for but then he heard it. And then he heard it again, much louder in tone and much more desperate. Seungmin squeaked, not caring that he was stepping into bare snow in the dead of night as he ran around the side of the porch to the large hole in the side of the wood. “I was going to try and coax it out but I knew if I touched it… yeah,” Chan hushed, following behind Seungmin shyly.

 

“It’s okay, Hyung, don’t worry, yeah?” Seungmin reassured, kneeling down to peek through the hole, “Hey, I give you permission to enter. I need you to go up to the bedroom and grab my flashlight out of the nightstand drawer,” Seungmin murmured, clicking his tongue and cooing out for the kitten afterward. Chan nodded and rushed up the stairs of both the porch and the inside, boots carrying snow inside but that was the least of their concerns. Chan dug through the drawer until he found a small, handheld blue metal flashlight before piling down the first set of stairs. Though, he stopped when he caught eye of a pink blanket draped over the back of Seungmin’s couch, and grabbed it last minute just in case. After that, Chan ran full force towards Seungmin’s shivering figure by the hole. “Thanks, hyung,”

 

Seungmin took the flashlight from the place where Chan dropped it in the snow, turning it on and crawling through the hole in search of the two kittens. After a few moments, Chan called out, “Find anything?”

 

“Hyung, there’s two. I’m not sure if the other one is still breathing,” Seungmin whimpered, sounding like he was about to hyperventilate, and Chan panicked.

 

“Hey, hey, Darling stay with me, okay? Pick up the two kittens and bring them closer. I might be able to pick up a heart beat,” Chan coaxed, hearing some rustling before Seungmin appeared with glassy eyes, a flashlight between his teeth and kneeled at the entrance of the hole with two kittens in his arms. One was meowing loudly, squirming and obviously putting up a fight, but the other was limp, but not quite dead because Chan could hear the faintest heartbeat imaginable, “They’re still alive, darling. Get them inside, I’ll call Minho,” Chan took the flashlight from Seungmin’s lips carefully before holding the blanket out in a way that Seungmin could place the two kittens in the middle without them all falling to the snow-covered ground. Seungmin bent down to cradle them in his arms with the blanket wrapped around them and Chan tucked the blanket gently against their fur in hopes of creating some warmth.

 

“What do you think you’re doing? Get inside,” Seungmin snapped when Chan sat down on the bench to call Minho, and the vampire stumbled inside after the human in shock.

  
  


**74 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

Firm knocks came at the door not even five minutes after Chan called Minho, Seungmin rushing to the door and opening it to let Minho in. The witch didn’t waste any time in making any sort of casual conversation, following the scent of Chan who was stuck in the kitchen hovering over the kittens like their own mother but didn’t touch them for obvious reasons. As soon as Chan saw Minho in the doorway, he backed away into the corner where he wouldn’t be at risk of touching anyone. Minho immediately took the limp kitten into his hands, cradling it like a baby and bouncing it a bit. Seungmin took it upon himself to take the other one and treat it tenderly, making sure they were happy and warm.

 

Minho brought the limp kitten up to his face, burying his nose and lips into the kitten’s tummy and whispering words neither one of them could understand before flipping over the kitten so it was lying on its stomach in the middle of Minho’s palm. Minho began to trace small shapes and whisper even more words Seungmin and Chan didn’t recognize into the kitten’s fur. Suddenly, Minho brought the small animal to his chest and let the poor thing hear his heartbeat, and then there was a cry, another one following suit, and when the kitten started squirming Chan and Seungmin let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Boy,” Minho uttered when he lifted the kitten up to figure out what gender he was, before slipping him into Seungmin’s arms and grabbing the other one, “Girl,” and cuddled it close to his chest while cooing cutely.

 

“Thank you, Minho,” Chan hushed from the back of the room, eyeing the two holding the kittens with envy thick in his voice.

 

“It’s not a problem. I would still take them by a vet, though,” Minho suggested, but Seungmin slumped at that.

 

“Hyung… I’m not sure I have enough money for that. I don’t even think I have enough to buy a can of tuna,” Seungmin admitted with a frown but Minho waved him off.

 

“I’ll pay for the appointment and buy the basic supplies to get you through the next few weeks. And before you argue, don’t,” Minho confidently claimed and as much as Seungmin wanted to argue, he didn’t for the sake of the kittens. Seungmin’s attention turned towards Chan, feeling a little overwhelmed when Chan just looked so _sad_.

 

“Hyung…” Minho hummed in acknowledgment, “Would the kittens suffer the same effects if Chan were to hold them with the blanket as a barrier?” Seungmin inquired boldly, not even looking at Chan’s face knowing exactly what he was thinking. Chan would try to stop it, try to argue that he didn’t want to risk it, but Seungmin wasn’t taking no for an answer if it was a possibility. Unluckily for him, it hadn’t been.

 

“I’m afraid not, love,” Minho sighed, stroking the side of the kitten’s head, but caught Chan’s stare and matched it all until Chan flickered his eyes downward in submission, “But Chan… I can reverse it,” Chan snapped his head up at that, “Yeah. That dumb curse you put on yourself all those years ago? I can reverse it now if you really want,” Chan wasn’t sure if he could even form a response to that, much less an answer, but it’s not as if he had to worry about it anyway because Seungmin was quick to step in.

 

“Do it,” but Minho looked at him incredulously.

 

“Seungmin, he has to be the one to agree to it -”

 

“No… No, it’s fine. Do it,” Chan cut him off with a small voice and Minho sighed, slipping the kitten into Seungmin’s grip before approaching the ancient vampire with short but quick strides. Suddenly, warm hands were cupping Chan’s entire head and their foreheads were forced together harshly. “M-Minho -” Chan started when Minho’s eyes glowed a bright purple, muttering aggressive words under his breath at lightning speed and Chan began to feel the first layer of his skin crawl and crackle until it all shattered onto the floor like a broken mirror. Chan fell into Minho’s chest when he felt like something was oozing from the fresh layer of skin, and Minho supported him to the best of his ability.

 

“I did this for Seungmin, not you,” Minho muttered harshly into his ear before shoving him slightly backward so Chan was now resting against the wall. “Wel… let’s see if it worked,” Minho cheered happily, swiveling on his feet to grab a potted plant of peppermint in Seungmin’s kitchen window and shoving it into Chan’s waiting hands. Chan’s eyes boggled when he touched the leaves and they didn’t immediately rot underneath his fingers. Seungmin and Chan locked eyes, slowly shifting towards each other until Seungmin’s toes were touching the tips of Chan’s boots and Chan curled an arm around Seungmin’s waist to tug him close, and when the life in Seungmin’s eyes didn’t fade but instead made it a bit more active, Chan let out a tiny, throaty wail.

 

The plastic pot holding the peppermint fell to the floor with a thump when Chan’s fingers curled around the back of Seungmin’s head to plant a small kiss to his forehead before diving down to grab a kitten and smother it in love. Seungmin giggled cutely at the sight, and Minho slowly backed out of the house to escape to the corner store to buy a litter box, a food bowl, some food, and a few more blankets for the two as they basked in the other’s touch. If Minho were honest, he was upset Chan didn’t cry, but he figured one day he’d get to see it.

 

“Now, you better not be going outside to sleep on the porch, Bang Chan,” chimed a voice from behind him when Chan was one foot out the door. The sun was beginning to creep over the horizon, and some light was beginning to beam through the windows creating a beautiful, warm blue light in the room and Chan gnawed on his lower lip. Seungmin’s arms were crossed over his chest, hip jutted out and eyebrows raised in a challenging manner. Chan laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck and taking another step back before Seungmin began to approach him.

 

“I-I just figured -” Chan’s words faded in his throat when Seungmin placed his hands flat on Chan’s chest and began to rub soothingly.

 

“Well, you figured wrong,” Seungmin hushed with a small laugh, letting one of his hands slip up to cup the back of Chan’s neck before dragging him down into a very much long-awaited kiss. It was slow, just barely a slide of their lips between the other, a giggle break between when their noses bumped and Chan accidentally stepped on the younger’s toes. “You clumsy bastard, that hurt!” Seungmin whined, shoving against Chan’s chest weakly but yelping when Chan suddenly closed the front door and hauled Seungmin over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Channie Hyung!” Seungmin cried out with laughter, beating against Chan’s back and trying to squirm out of his grip but Chan had an iron grip on him.

 

Seungmin’s back hit the bed with a thump, ultimately disturbing the cats at the corner of the bed and they began to meow loudly in anger. Chan began to laugh and coo, bending down to wrap them both up in his arms and shush them before placing them back down in their small bed Minho had gotten for them, “Minho scheduled the appointment for two days from now,” Seungmin explained with a sleepy voice, now snuggled under the blankets on the bed as Chan stripped himself of his multiple layers, “And there are clothes in the drawer. Most of it should fit you,” Seungmin yawned and began to doze off.

 

He just barely registered Chan slipping onto the mattress beside him under the warm covers and tugging him close, the snow never quite let up.

  
  


**54 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

“So, what you’re telling me is that this castle has been here for hundreds of years but no one knew it existed?” Seungmin questioned from his extravagent, velvet cushioned chair as Chan paced back and forth in his old bedroom to gather a few of his things along with some furniture. Chan hummed in confirmation, stepping over Noki, the male kitten playing with some stones he found on the ground, and packing a few expensive looking pieces of jewelry into one of the boxes they had brought. “Damn… why didn’t you just stay here then?” Seungmin questioned again, and Chan stopped packing for a moment. Shit. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked -“

 

“No… no, it’s fine. There’s just a lot of bad memories here,” Chan admitted with a shy smile and Seungmin felt even worse after that admission. Chan didn’t expand on it though, and Seungmin didn’t ask questions. “Should we take the headboard and footboard?” Chan questioned, running his fingers along the wood prompting Seungmin to snarl his nose up. “I’m taking that as no…”

 

“Hyung, as beautiful as this furniture is, it wouldn’t fit the house at all,” Seungmin reminded and Chan nodded in realization. It was true, the house was falling apart at this point and having rich, antique Victorian furniture in his house would look beyond odd at this point. “I quite like this chair though,” Seungmin purred, making himself a tiny bit more comfortable with Zui purring in his arms and her paws wrapped tightly around his thumb. Chan laughed quietly.

 

“I knew there was a reason you reminded me of my mother so much,” Chan teased, taping the box of jewelry shut, setting it on the ground before picking up Noki and terrorizing the poor thing. Though, Noki never minded and just resorted to biting at Chan’s picking Fingers. The two just seemed to get along a little too well. “We can take it if you want though. That's why we have the truck today,” Chan reminded, setting the poor cat down on the ground so Noki could run off somewhere else in the bedroom. Seungmin thought for a moment, apparently too long though, because Chan was suddenly lowering himself onto Seungmin’s lap, hands on the back of the chair by both sides of Seungmin’s head but Chan’s attention was on the purring kitten in Seungmin’s arms. “Hey, cutie,” Chan cooed, running his cold hands over the kitten’s head, neck, and tummy with a fond grin tugging at his lips that tugged at Seungmin’s heart equally so.

 

Seungmin tilted his head up so it was clear he wanted a kiss from the elder, and Chan didn’t deny the human of that by any means, lunging downward to capture his lips with his own in a prolonged peck. When they separated, Seungmin let a smile blossom over his face and Chan couldn’t help but kiss him again, and again, and again, until Seungmin pulled away with a nose curl of disgust when Chan’s tongue slipped into his mouth. “Did you feed before you came here?” Seungmin questioned with a scowl, Chan laughing nervously while backing away slowly. “Hyung!” His whine bounced off the walls with a groan, slumping back in his chair in exasperation as Chan ran a hand through his curls.

 

“I’m sorry! I was hungry!”

 

“New rule: You have to ask before you kiss me so I can make sure you brushed your teeth. So, no more kisses for you until we get home and your teeth are brushed mister,” Seungmin poked at Chan’s chest teasingly prompting the older vampire to laugh and plant a quick kiss to his forehead before getting up from his position in the chair. Seungmi watched Chan’s every move after that, “I like that painting,” Seungmin complimented when Chan pulled a large painting down from the wall. It had been of him, Hyunjin, Jisung, and Changbin, and all Chan could do was stare with his bottom lip tugged between his teeth.

 

Things had been fixed by this point, Changbin and Minho had allowed themselves to merge with Chan’s blood family again along with Felix and Jeongin being the somewhat glue, but he couldn’t say he didn’t miss those times before his long-term sleep either. “That was a very long week trying to get this painting done, but it was worth it. I think we ruined the painting like two times before the painter at the time threatened to quit and get someone else to do it for us,” Chan laughed out fondly, and Seungmin peeked a singular eyebrow up.

 

“Did he quit?”

 

“Of course not,” Chan snickered and leaned the painting up against the wall, draping a white sheet over it and taking Seungmin’s hand to lead him down to the main door to load all of the boxes right outside into the truck, Noki and Zui following behind without much coaxing. Soon, everything was loaded and Chan was sitting in the passenger seat with the two kittens curled up in his lap and the vampire basically trembling in anxiety. He hated cars, much more actually driving them, hence why Seungmin was always the one driving and cooing for Chan to relax. Chan wasn’t one to get nervous, but cars were an absolute nightmare for him.

 

But, Seungmin managed to get down the mountain with the moving truck without any problems, and then they were pulling into the driveway where multiple cars were parked and there was no doubt, multiple people, inside, “Yo, dip shits, make yourself useful and help us unload!” Seungmin exclaimed into the house the minute he walked inside with the kittens following behind. Everyone immediately came from all corners of the house, piling out the door as Chan handed them all a box or a piece of furniture until everything was good to go and Seungmin could drive the truck back to the place while the rest of them unpacked.

 

Dinner was a mess, an absolute mess purely because 1) they didn’t make enough food, and 2) it was like having 7 children at the table because Seungmin couldn’t go two bites without seeing a noddle fly across the table and Chan wiping sauce from either Felix’s or Hyunjin’s mouth. “Alright, everyone in the living room so I can wash dishes. Seungmin shooed everyone out into the rather chaotic and diverse living room while Chan and Seungmin gathered all of the dishes before Chan uttered that he’d be right back and shuffled up the stairs. Seungmin didn’t ask questions, only turning on the water and waiting for it to get warm before grabbing a sponge, some dish soap, and scrubbing things clean. Seungmin had gotten a little over a third of the dishes done before Chan’s arms circled his waist and lips began to pepper kisses along the back of his neck, “Did you brush your teeth?” Chan hummed in confirmation.

 

Seungmin grabbed for the nearest towel and wiped his hands clean of any soap or water before he whirled around to curl the vampire’s shirt collar into his fist and Chan half expected for this kiss to be rough, maybe even hurt a bit, but instead got a one that was so incredibly soft Chan didn’t know what to do with himself. His body reacted before his mind could, arms slithering around Seungmin’s waist a bit firmer, hands resting on the middle of is back, and applying a bit more pressure to the man’s lips. Seungmin began to pant a bit when Chan’s tongue slipped into his mouth again and he was met with a pleasant peppermint taste mixed with Chan and even groaned a bit when Chan’s teeth tugged at his lip.

 

“You’re supposed to be washing dishes!” Jisung screeched from the living room suddenly, the two pulling their slightly swollen lips apart with a quiet giggle and a smack.

 

“This is my house! I do what I want!” Seungmin retorted, taking Chan’s face into his hands and licking into his mouth jokingly as they moaned a little too dramatically. Everyone in the other room groaned loudly and the two decided to give the rest a bit of mercy and actually finish washing the dishes so they could all move on with their lives. Soon enough, everything was done, and Seungmin exclaimed that he was going to hop in the shower and that everyone could go ahead and start the movie without him. Seungmin needed that shower for more than just cleaning himself up at this point, as he really needed the time to just think.

 

His life was a mess now, but a somehow peacefully chaotic mess. Nothing about it was necessarily bad, and yes it could be a bit overwhelming at times, but Seungmin wouldn’t trade it for the world. Though Chan was still learning things about the world and his morals were still a bit warped at times, they loved each other, there was no denying that. A little over eight months had passed since the night they got the cats and the two finally got together, and they had yet to say I love you to one another because Seungmin knew of Chan’s customs, that because he did live for so long that love wasn’t easy to come by and when it did he was unbearably hesitant to give into it.

 

Seungmin had barely registered that he had gotten out of the shower, put on clothes, and was now sat on the edge of the bed until there were knocks on the bedroom door and Chan was slipping through the barely open door only to shut it behind him so they had a bit more privacy. “You okay?” Chan wondered as he sat down on the edge of the bed where Seungmin was, resting a cold, comforting palm on the human’s thigh and rubbing it to let Seungmin know he was there both emotionally and physically. Seungmin just shrugged, playing with his thumbnails, before nodding his head to correct himself, “Don’t lie to me, darling,” Chan sighed out, tugging Seungmin’s taller body into his own.

 

“It’s fine, hyung, I promise,” Seungmin whispered but Chan knew better. However, he also knew better than to try and pry it out of the younger because that only caused more damage in the long run, “I’ll tell you when I’m ready,” Seungmin promised with a fond tone when Chan peppered kisses down the side of his face.

 

“That’s okay, darling, but let’s go join the others before they think we’re doing something else,” Chan laughed a bit, hoisting Seungmin up and carrying him bridal style down the stairs and settling into Chan’s mother’s chair with Seungmin’s back pressed against the armrest, shoulder pressed to Chan’s, and legs hooked over Chan’s thighs. Seungmin looked small compared to Chan at that moment, and if the others took pictures once the two had fallen asleep, that was their own business.

  
  


**25 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

It wasn’t uncommon for Seungmin and Chan to get into little spats every now and then, but it _was_ rare for them to get into full-blown fights. They had been together for nearly a year and a half and they had only gotten into two fights, and the recent one, being the third, was the worst of the trio. It had started over something stupid, Chan not washing his dishes and making a mess with the blood bags Seungmin provided him without cleaning it up. That was pretty regular, and Seungmin had kind of stopped caring about it because he was so good at cleaning it at lightning speed, but for some unknown reason, he was especially irritable that day. Seungmin could blame it on his exhaustion or Chan, but the fight was at least half his fault and he knew that, just as Chan knew the other half was his fault.

 

The little spat had quickly escalated, and when Seungmin threw in that Chan was a monster, all hell broke loose and now… now Seungmin was stuck in a shitty motel after doing nothing but crying his eyes out for the last three days. Neither one asked the other to leave the house, Seungmin just ran out the front door in a fit of anger while Chan began to cry silently and here he was. Seungmin knew he needed to go home to at least see his cats, but he was scared. He was scared Chan was still mad at him and that this would be the end of whatever it was they had. Seungmin didn’t want that. He wanted to be with Chan for the rest of his life. If Minho was there, he would have slapped Seungmin for even staying overnight, much less staying in it for three and too scared to go home.

 

Seungmin was as stubborn as a bull, but when it came to Chan he was weak and vulnerable and he hated it. Though, he knew he had to go home if he really wanted to fix all of this and face Chan again. So, he turned in his motel key and began the long, long walk home where Chan had been patiently waiting for Seungmin’s return. Seungmin hovered on the porch for a while, too scared to go in if he were completely honest but he didn’t even get the chance to open the door before Chan beat him to it. They stared at one another, both looking equally bad. Chan had dark circles under his eyes with messy bed hair and wearing the same stained clothes he was wearing three days ago. Seungmin wasn’t much better with his clothes, red eyes, and pale skin. Seungmin hadn't touched anything but water in the last few days.

 

“We’re not about to start the whole one of us lives on the porch stuff again are we?” Chan tried to joke but his voice only ended up cracking and eyes became glossy again. Seungmin didn’t answer, “Please… come inside, you look like you haven’t eaten anything and it’s late,” Chan’s voice was barely a whisper with his plead but Seungmin didn’t hesitate to slip through the opening Chan allowed him and the elder shutting it behind him. The house was spotless, seemingly untouched and quiet. The cats were asleep on the couch, the spots where they’ve touched lingered with cat hair but everywhere else had been perfectly fine, “I… I cleaned the house while you were gone, stocked the fridge with food, even fixed the bathroom door so it would shut properly, but I can leave if you really want me to,” Chan trailed off shyly as Seungmin kneeled down to smother the cats with love.

 

“Please stay,” Seungmin croaked, his voice the loudest thing that’s been exchanged between them and Chan nodded before escaping into the kitchen to grab some food for Seungmin. Though the vampire didn’t come back for a while and Seungmin was slightly worried something had happened so went to find him to make sure everything was okay. Chan had just been staring out the window of the spotless kitchen, holding a steaming bowl of ramen with a towel as to not burn his hands, and for a moment, Seungmin believed the vampire had been turned into some sort of statue, “Hyung…?” Seungmin trailed off wearily, but Chan jumped, startled, and ended up dropping the bowl and causing it to shatter into tiny pieces all over the ground. Chan looked like he was about to burst into tears when Seungmin bent down to go clean up the mess.

 

“Darling it’s fine, just go take a shower. I’ll clean it up,” Chan’s voice cracked, batting Seungmin’s hands away and shooing him out of the room. Seungmin looked ready to sit and argue with him but Chan seemed about as sensitive as a porcelain doll at the time so Seungmin left Chan to do what he wanted. However, by the time Seungmin took a shower, changed into fresh clothes and trailed back down to the kitchen, Chan was sitting on the now clean floor leaning up against the cabinets with some freshly made food in a new bowl on the countertop above his head. “Your food is there,” Chan whispered, expecting Seungmin to take the food and leave, but the human instead slid down onto the floor beside Chan, curling his arms around Chan’s bicep so he was practically hugging his arm and resting his temple on Chan’s shoulder. “Are you not going to eat?”

 

“I’ll eat in a minute, just let me hold you,” Seungmin whispered but Chan was pretty determined on getting food in his system.

 

“Eating is more important at the moment,” Chan hushed, reaching up to take the bowl into his hands, grab a bit of the noodle with his chopsticks, and then slowly but surely feed Seungmin. About halfway through the bowl, Seungmin nudged the chopsticks away from his lips with a whine, “Are you done?” Seungmin nodded and cuddled a bit more into Chan’s side in hopes of getting the vampire to loosen up, “Seungmin, I’m so sorry for saying all of those god-awful things to you. They were way out of line and I shouldn’t treat you like some sort of servant in your own home that you pay for. It’s unfair of me to do so and I’m sorry,” Seungmin listened to Chan’s apology without interrupting, and when he was done, he knew it was his turn.

 

“I’m sorry for calling you a monster, hyung. You’re not one, and that was an incredibly low blow. I know you’re trying your absolute hardest to be a better person and I respect you so much for that. Your heart is kind, Chan, please don’t think otherwise,” and then it was quiet. Chan leaned his cheek on the top of Seungmin’s head and stroked his hands lovingly.

 

“I’ll start helping around the house, clean up my messes, and I give you full permission to slap me when I get snarky about having to do something that I promised to do,” Chan laughed a bit, earning a kiss to the collarbone that made his heart flutter. _He missed him_ . “And I think… I think I’m going to talk to Minho about making me human,” Seungmin jolted up at that, gaping at Chan in pure shock. “I used to enjoy being called a monster a long… _long_ time ago, but hearing it come from you makes me want to curl up into a ball and die because I don’t want to be a monster for you,”

 

“But that doesn’t mean you have to change who you are, baby,”

 

“I want to be able to grow old with you, Seungmin. I want to be able to experience the world as a human because I never once got to. I didn’t _want_ to, but now I have a reason to,” Chan hushed, reaching a hand up to cup Seungmin’s cheek as if he were holding the entire world in his hands. When Seungmin didn’t say anything more, Chan began to gnaw on his own lip, “Can I kiss you, darling?”

 

“Thought you were never going to ask,” and that was _their_ night.

  
  


**5 Miles Until You Reach Your Destination.**

 

Very few ever got to experience what it means to be reborn.

 

Chan presumed that rebirth was never something he’d get to experience due to the fact that he loved his gift far too much to try and get rid of it. He had heard of vampires turning themselves human when they came to the realization that they did not want to be like this forever, that the power they thought was a gift was nothing but a curse, and Chan had ridiculed them for years on end. In fact, if he were to catch a specific vampire trying to attempt it, he would kill them himself. But now, here he was stood in front of Minho and Changbin with blood dribbling from the nail marks he made into his palm.

 

“You can’t be serious, hyung,” Minho gaped at him, crossing his arms over his chest and eyeing the vampire wearily. Was this some sort of sick joke? Minho wouldn’t be surprised. However, when Chan just nodded his head with this determined glint in his eyes, Minho’s arms fell limp at his sides, “Holy shit you are serious,” Minho whispered and Changbin reached out to touch Chan’s hand.

 

“And this is for Seungmin, I presume?” Changbin grinned cheekily, and that’s when Chan’s cheeks fired up. “I’m glad you’ve fallen in love, hyung,” Changbin clapped chan on the shoulder before shoving him in Minho’s direction. The witch still seemed a bit unsure.

 

“I’m not even positive this will work, Chan. We don’t even know if you have a soul, and this will take a long time for it to just… _go away_ ,” Minho voiced his concerned but Chan remained determined. He needed this. He needed to do this for himself so the world wasn’t at so much jeopardy. Chan was scared for his sanity if he ever had to lose Seungmin permanently and he was still forced to live until the world ultimately ended.

 

“He has a soul, hyung, I can sense it. It’s strengthened considerably since him and Seungmin have gotten together,” A new voice spoke up from behind them, everyone whirling around to see Jeongin beaming at them with that damn smile and a small toddler in his arms. Chan’s eyes brightened, darting over to Jeongin and the small werewolf girl in his arms.

 

“Hey there, baby doll,” Chan cooed, taking Jeongin’s daughter from him to hold her tightly. She was a recent addition to the family, an unplanned one, but a loved one nonetheless. She had been found in a company that trafficks smalls supernatural girls to rich families for a multitude of things. Chan had taken it upon himself to bust the whole thing and help all the young girls get back home, but Heejin had taken to both Felix and Jeongin and ended up being adopted by the both of them. However, she was just kind of like a daughter to all of them though. “How are you?” Chan combed through her hair as she babbled on about what her daddies taught her to do that morning and then…

 

Well, not quite all of it, but some hell did break loose. Seungmin came storming into the empty clubhouse with a look of pure panic on his features, “Wait! Don’t do it, hyung!” Seungmin screeched out, and once he reached the crowd of five, he hunched over and panted loudly, “Fuck, don’t do it, hyung,” Seungmin breathed out, glancing up at Chan’s horrified face with wild eyes.

 

“What are you talking about, darling? I thought we both agreed on this-”

 

“Hyung, I’m not human am I?” It went so quiet a pin could drop and it would be far too loud in Chan’s ears. Chan didn’t even know how to answer that because if he were honest? He had no idea. Luckily, Minho saved his ass again.

 

“No… No, baby you aren’t. But you’re still primarily human so you only have a few characteristics. It was too hard to sense so I had to go to a specialist to find out” Minho hushed, eyes softening when Seungmin’s shoulders slumped. Quietly, so faintly they could barely hear it, Seungmin asked what he was, “Siren, baby,”

 

“Like uncle Woojin!” Heejin suddenly exclaimed like the happy ball of sunshine she was, and Minho nodded with a fond smile while Chan booped her nose.

 

“How long do Sirens live, hyung?” Seungmin inquired, not even looking at Chan when he asked Minho that question.

 

“A lot longer than humans do,”

 

“Is there a way of making me full Siren?”

 

Minho suddenly turned to Changbin, whispering something in his ear, and they all watched Changbin leave the room to retrieve Woojin. No one said a word, not even when Woojin came out from the back with a look of confusion, “Oh, hello, what can I do for you?” Woojin grinned when he saw Seungmin and Chan, not expecting Seungmin to approach him as Minho spoke.

 

“Seungmin wants to become a full siren,” Minho explained, and Woojin’s expression flashed to one of realization.

 

“It’s about time you realized who you were, brother,” and then Woojin was taking Seungmin by the hand and leading him to the entrance.

 

“Darling…” Chan trailed off, eyes glassy and bottom lip wobbling. Seungmin let go of Woojin’s hand for a moment to trail over to his lover and kiss him deeply, “I love you,” Chan whispered when they pulled away, and Seungmin looked like he had just been graced by the words of God himself.

 

“And I love you,”

 

Chan was right when he presumed he’d never get to experience a rebirth, but Seungmin got to, and now… now they could be together for a long time.  

 

They would just have to get used to the smell of salt water, beaches, and a few little ones running around on the side of the ocean in a neighborhood of his entire blood family of nine, but that shouldn’t be too hard in the long run. Not when they had each other and were able to make the other their absolute best version of themselves.

 

Seungmin used to call his life the highway to hell...

 

Who knew the highway to hell would be like this, hm?

  
  


**_You Have Reached Your Destination._ **

  
  


[[Moodboard]](https://twitter.com/atumun15/status/1053736931614474240)


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